David Dastmalchian.Photo:Titan Caskets
Titan Caskets
ActorDavid Dastmalchian, who most recently starred inOppenheimer, is embracing his new role: celebrity brand ambassador for a line of caskets.
Below, theDuneactor explains how he got involved, and how he hopes to open up the conversation surrounding death, funerals, and funeral planning moving forward.
Tell us how you first got involved with Titan Caskets.
What was it about the company model that you found compelling?
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David Dasmalchian.Titan Caskets
What are your own thoughts on talking about death?
A big question is, whyaren’twe talking about death? I’ll talk to my friends all day long about the work I’m doing, or my exercise regimen, my diet, my kids… all these things we talk about but there is that one looming thing that is coming for all of us, no matter what. And people will say, well, I have my spiritual practice that helps me navigate that subject, and I think that’s wonderful. But there are psychological, emotional, and honestly, financial considerations that we need to normalize discussing.
Have you become comfortable talking about death in your own life?
I’m 21 years into a journey of sobriety and mental wellness, so talking about big things is embedded to who I am as a person. But I’m still wrestling and struggling with it. I do think the more we just normalize the conversation, the more we’ll realize its the one thing we all have in common. So why not just make it less taboo to discuss? What I hope, with this campaign, is that someone reads this and goes, “Honey, I haven’t thought about this before, but if death happens to me tomorrow, I want you to not feel limited in your options.” Or maybe, “I want a fabulous purple casket with a hot pink interior.” Titan can do that — custom sizes, designs.
Do you think people should plan their own funerals while they’re still alive?
Why not? There’s so much that goes into them and they are overwhelming for the living. Catering, flowers, obits to be written, family to be contacted — who you might not have spoken to in years. There’s so much to juggle all the while feeling a deep painful sense of loss. To know there’s a good product you can order with a couple of click to take care of an important element at a fraction of the cost. It’s something I’m honestly really proud to be promoting.
Your movie characters tend to be dark — are you drawn to the macabre?
I always was. Scary stories about monsters really kept me up at night, and I was this super scared kid. And then I started watching this local Kansas City personalty called Crematia Mortem who would hostFriday Night Creature Feature. And I saw characters wrestling with struggles about their emotions, their fears, their fears of death, their fears of the unknown, all of which spoke to the scared little boy in me. It was like a moth to the flame. I’ve been coming back to [dark material] ever since. I think overarching appeal for me has been the fear of finality, the fear of the inevitability of the big Reaper.
Any plans for your own funeral?
I’ve been talking to the guys at Titan about a really kick-ass, personally designed casket that I think would be awesome for me to have. But I have also always told my wife Eve that I wanted my skull preserved. I love the idea of an actor performing Hamlet someday while holding my real skull. We have a morbid sense of humor in our house. We have my mother’s ashes in an urn on the mantle, and my daughter, who is six, will show people around, point to it, and say, “And this is grandma.”
source: people.com
