David Dastmalchian on Murderbot, breaking new ground in Dexter: Resurrection and therapy breaks on set

He exclusively tells RadioTimes.com: "In the past, I didn't have the tools to go, ‘I am not getting adequate rest. I am not taking in the time that I need every day to balance my mental wellness.’

"Now I feel much more comfortable advocating for [what I need]. To give you an example, on the set of Murderbot, going to my directors and writers, the showrunners, Chris and Paul [Weitz], and saying, ‘I'm really sorry, but on Wednesday at 2pm - I know I'm on the schedule that day, but is there any way I could be in my trailer for 45 minutes to have a therapy session?' and them being so supportive and loving and saying, ‘Of course, we will get you a Wi-Fi booster,’ because we were out in the middle of nowhere.

"In the past, I may not have asked, because I thought, 'People aren't going to want to work with me, or people are going to think that's annoying.' Now, I feel more comfortable being able to advocate for myself, but it's hard. It's a really demanding business."

But advocating for your mental health becomes a lot easier when that culture is normalised by those at the top.

"To tell you the truth, I think there are more people out there yearning for these conversations and for someone to make it [normal]," Dastmalchian adds.

"I can't say who yet, because we haven't announced it, but I just worked with one of my heroes in the film and television space… immediately we got into those kinds of conversations, and I felt so comfortable when we were shooting in the morning to say, ‘I have my support group zoom at this time. Can I attend?’ And this person being like, ‘Of course, 100 per cent,’ and, ‘Do you need anything else? How can I help support you?’"

Currently, Dastmalchian is starring as augmented human Gurathin in Apple TV+'s sci-fi comedy Murderbot, which follows a cyborg guard, SecUnit (Alexander Skarsgärd), which gains sentience, using its free will to binge soap operas and do its best to avoid actual human connection.

Unlike his colleagues on the PreservationAux survey team, Gurathin is instantly sceptical and suspicious of SecUnit - but there's much more going on under the surface with Gurathin than it might first appear.

"Gurathin has so much in connection with me, personally," Dastmalchian reveals. "We're very different people - I'm more outgoing and gregarious and I am more open to connection than Gurathin is - but I often, in the past, have led by a sense of fear and distrust and anxiety when it comes to the people that I love or make myself vulnerable to, possibly not sticking around or getting hurt.

"And that has, in the past, been something I've allowed to make my attachments to people really intense, and Gurathin, as you watch this story unfold, cares deeply for his family in PresAux. He just has such a hard time letting go of control, and when Murderbot comes into the picture, it's like the fire stick that pokes Guarathin, because no one will listen to [him]."

Gurathin isn't the only character Dastmalchian's felt a personal connection to during his career, either.

"When I think about getting to bring characters like Bob Taylor from Prisoners to life, or as distant he was from me, there still felt like something I could tap into in the world of Mentat Piter De Vries [in Dune].

"And one of the most personal performances I ever had the privilege of providing was when James Gunn asked me to play Abner Krill [in The Suicide Squad] because Polka Dot Man is a character that was very close to stuff I could instantly relate to emotionally.

"But when I couldn't... let's say there were things that maybe I looked at the script and I go, 'Oh, this is going to be a challenge,' like Jack Delroy in Late Night with the Devil, I dove into it, and I had great guidance and love and support from my director brothers. And you know what I realised? ‘Oh yeah, I'm in there too,’ just like I could be in Iago, just like I could be in Puck, just like I could be in Oberon. I can find myself, if I'm in the right hands, in every role."

He's not slowing down anytime soon, either, with upcoming roles in Dexter: Resurrection and Netflix's live-action One Piece adaptation, as well as unannounced parts that he can only hint to at the moment.

Carefully teasing what's to come from his character in Dexter: Resurrection, he says: "There are things about this character that are very specific and special, and I've never gotten to do it before with any role I've ever played before.

"I've always been scared of, but excited by, the challenge of something that is new or different for me. So just know that going to prepare for the role meant thinking about things in a way that I had not really done before."

As for joining the world of One Piece as Mr Three, an officer agent of criminal syndicate Baroque Works?

"The world that [Eiichiro] Oda created with the with the manga is a world that my son is a devout fan and follower of," Dastmalchian explains.

"And so therefore I became a fan and follower of the books, then the anime, and then the live-action series, and of all the amazing stuff I got to do working on that show, which included sets and set pieces that are going to blow people's minds, like crazy events that take place down in Little Garden that are going to blow people's minds."

For now, though, Dastmalchian is enjoying showing off Murderbot to the world, a series that remains incredibly special to him.

"It's the best and greatest gift to be a part of bringing the vision and world of [Murderbot author] Martha Wells to life, which explores all these diverse characters who cover the spectrum of how they identify, how they present, and it does so in a way that in no manner, shape or form is there to proselytise or promote an agenda," he points out.

"What it's there to do is excavate the beauty of the human experience, and do so with honesty and integrity and authenticity. So my dream and my hope and my prayer, when I get to be a part of telling stories like this, that do value all human life, no matter who they love, how they love, how they identify... you just dream that someone's watching it who maybe feels disconnected from those who look or identify or live their lives differently than them, and they they get touched by that beautiful, invisible, golden thread that connects us all.

"To me, it's an honour. I'll be thankful to Martha Wells for the rest of my days for creating this world and creating the character of Gurathin, because playing him really changed me."

Murderbot is airing weekly on Apple TV+. Subscribe to Apple TV+ here.

Add Murderbot to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.