David Dastmalchian Interview: The Boogeyman & Oppenheimer

David Dastmalchian is no stranger to playing dark, complex characters, but he dubs the role of Lester Billings in The Boogeyman as one of the scariest roles he’s had to tackle yet. Lester Billings is one of the main characters in Stephen King’s short story. In Rob Savage’s feature film adaptation, the focus shifts to the Harper family (Chris Messina, Sophie Thatcher, and Vivien Lyra Blair), but Lester is still in play. Even though he’s only seen in one sequence, the character not only must set the tone for The Boogeyman, but his influence also needs to be felt throughout the film, and Dastmalchian finds great success in both respects. At the start of The Boogeyman, Sadie (Thatcher) and Sawyer (Blair) are trying to move forward after the passing of their mother by heading back to school. Their father, Will (Messina), is also struggling, but he jumps back into work as a therapist. When an unexpected new patient, Lester Billings, shows up at his home office door, Will reluctantly agrees to see him.