David Dastmalchian Reveals the Dark Real-Life Figures Who Inspired His M. Bison in STREET FIGHTER
M. Bison is back and David Dastmalchian is putting a lot more thought into the Street Fighter villain than you might expect from a guy whose main hobbies include world domination and beating the hell out of martial artists.
A new look at Dastmalchian as Bison in the upcoming Street Fighter reboot has been revealed, giving fans another taste of what the actor is bringing to the iconic video game villain. While the movie appears ready to embrace the ridiculous fun of the games, Dastmalchian approached Bison from a serious angle.
While talking to Empire, the The actor explained that he became interested in figuring out why Bison's soldiers would willingly follow him into almost certain death. That question led him toward some pretty dark real-world research.
“I’m curious about films where there are these villainous leaders that have endless armies of foot soldiers willing to throw themselves into certain death to defend them. I was like, ‘How do you achieve that authentically? How do you become the person that all of these people are going to follow into the fire?’
“We started studying cult leadership and historical figures that were able to use terror and intimidation, but also cunning, charm and seduction, to make these major movements happen.
“People like Idi Amin, Jim Jones and Mussolini. We dove in with a very serious approach. People might think, ‘Oh, it’s just a video-game bad guy. It’s just a big boss,’ and I was like, ‘No, it’s something much deeper than that.’”
That's a pretty intense collection of influences for M. Bison, but it makes sense for a character who is the head of the Shadaloo criminal organization and commands an army of people willing to carry out his orders. Dastmalchian wanted to understand the personality and manipulation required to build that kind of loyalty.
His preparation wasn't limited to researching dictators and cult leaders, either. Apparently, becoming Bison also required spending a lot of time stomping around the house in those massive boots.
“Putting on the costume for the first time was right up there with the greatest moments in my career. I had my boots the summer before we started filming, so, much to the chagrin of my children, I had been wearing them around and learning how to live in them and feel the power in them. I’m not someone who can find a character without first figuring out how he walks. So that was so crucial.”
Imagining Dastmalchian wandering around his house in M. Bison's boots while his kids deal with Dad preparing to become a video game supervillain is pretty amusing.
Of course, taking on Bison also means stepping into some legendary boots. Raul Julia played the character in the infamous 1994 live-action Street Fighter movie, and while that adaptation has plenty of problems, Julia's gloriously committed performance remains its biggest highlight.
Dastmalchian has a tough act to follow there, even if the new movie itself doesn't have a particularly high bar to clear.
This new Street Fighter has gone through some changes on its way to the screen. The Eric Andre Show and Twisted Metal director Sakura signed on to helm the movie after Talk to Me filmmakers Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou parted ways with the project.
The reboot takes things back to 1993 and centers on Ryu and Ken being pulled into the World Warrior Tournament. The official synopsis reads:
“Set in 1993, estranged Street Fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) are thrown back into combat when the mysterious Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament: a brutal clash of fists, fate, and fury. But behind this battle royale lies a deadly conspiracy that forces them to face off against each other and the demons of their past. And if they don’t, it’s GAME OVER!”
Andrew Koji stars as Ryu, with Noah Centineo as Ken Masters and Callina Liang as Chun-Li. Dastmalchian's Bison will be waiting for them as one of the major threats in their path.
The fact that Dastmalchian is treating M. Bison like an actual human being capable of inspiring fanatical loyalty rather than simply playing him as a screaming video game boss could make his version of the character especially fun to watch.
We're expecting a new Street Fighter trailer early next week, but until then, this latest image of Dastmalchian's M. Bison gives us another look at the villain coming to cause some serious trouble.