Murderbot and Dexter: Resurrection star David Dastmalchian wears many hats: actor, writer, host, and devoted Muppets fan.
The last item started from a very young age, Dastmalchian told Mashable Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards as part of Mashable's Say More interview series.
"When I was in kindergarten, having already become transported by the magic of The Muppet Movie and addicted to The Muppet Movie and so moved by all the themes and everything that matters about The Muppet Movie — which I still am, I think about that film every day, if not multiple times a day — I memorized the lyrics to 'The Rainbow Connection,'" Dastmalchian said. "I wanted to be Kermit the Frog. I did feel a little bit of an outcast and a loner and a little bit left behind because I was the baby of the family, and I had a difficult time at first just getting over the sads on a daily basis. And that song really lifted me up."
Dastmalchian would sing the song to his mother, and even dreamed of having a Muppet Movie–style road trip of his own. His love of The Muppet Movie led him to perform "The Rainbow Connection" at his kindergarten talent show, fake banjo and all. The only problem? Dastmalchian forgot the words.
"I completely fled the stage in abject terror, and I yelled out, 'I forgot!'" Dastmalchian recalled. "I was so ashamed, and I was so embarrassed, and I felt like I'd let everybody down. I went many years without ever wanting to get back in front of an audience."
Of course, audiences around the world now know Dastmalchian from his roles in everything from Late Night with the Devil to The Suicide Squad, so it's clear he found a way past that initial fear.
"I was always scared, but I learned to present and create something that wasn't," Dastmalchian said.
While Dastmalchian originally wanted to be Kermit the Frog, he realized around kindergarten that he actually felt a kinship with a different Muppet. "It's not Kermit who I was. It was his good friend Gonzo," Dastmalchian said. "Gonzo, having come from another planet, another galaxy, and very, very, very, very strongly connected to anything that's blue. I have a deep affinity for the color blue. I'll eat anything that's blue; I don't even care what it is. Could be rotten milk; I'll drink it."
Earlier in 2025, Dastmalchian got to live out his Muppets dream and performed as Gonzo in Dynasty Typewriter's live reading of The Muppet Movie script. Check out his moving performance of "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday."
For more Dastmalchian, check out Mashable's full Say More video on YouTube, where he breaks down the finale of Murderbot, his moving Mike Flanagan monologue from The Life of Chuck, and what to expect from his Dexter: Resurrection serial killer character.
Murderbot is now streaming on Apple TV+. Dexter: Resurrection is now streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime, with new episodes every Friday.
