# Nobody's Ever Asked Me That: David Dastmalchian

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/talkhouse-podcast-862006/nobody-s-ever-asked-me-that-david-dastmalchian
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/talkhouse-podcast-862006/nobody-s-ever-asked-me-that-david-dastmalchian.md
Podcast: [Talkhouse Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/talkhouse-podcast-862006)
Published: 2026-04-23T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://pdst.fm/e/tracking.swap.fm/track/8fvJdZ1Y8SQ0SkCuaYDp/traffic.megaphone.fm/THI3003394326.mp3?updated=1776913117
Audio file: https://pdst.fm/e/tracking.swap.fm/track/8fvJdZ1Y8SQ0SkCuaYDp/traffic.megaphone.fm/THI3003394326.mp3?updated=1776913117
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/talkhouse-podcast-862006/episodes/nobody-s-ever-asked-me-that-david-dastmalchian
Duration seconds: 3022

## Resource

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast’s spin-off series, host Nick Dawson sits down with actor, writer and all-around fascinating human David Dastmalchian, whose beautiful debut graphic novel Through was just published. In an engrossing and often very profound conversation, the two discuss David’s fascinating (and impressively genre-tinged) recurring nightmares, his mother’s emotional supernatural encounter with her first love, his childhood fear of hell, how “doing the work” led him to write Through … and much more, including why David insisted this episode be titled “Pedal to the Metal”! For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse at talkhouse.com/film. Subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast. 0:00 — Intro 3:06 — Do you remember your dreams and/or nightmares? 6:01 — Recurring horror dreams, stress dreams, and lucid dreaming 12:47 — Do you believe in ghosts and the supernatural? 16:50 — Living “in the gray” between ideas and spiritual interconnectivity 20:19 — Concepts of religious hell and fearing hell as a child 22:55 — Favorite films about religion, and exploring religion in creative communities 25:35 — Titling podcast episodes - “Put the pedal to the metal” 26:51 — “Can you think of a time when you nearly gave up?” and addiction 30:08 — Attempting to take his own life 31:46 — Sobriety, relapsing, and managing his anxiety and depression 34:37 — Mining your own experiences in writing, and David’s new book, Through 38:58 — “How comfortable are you with discomfort?," coping mechanisms, and consumerism 44:49 — “What kind of a life would you want to live?” Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠…

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