Coffee Chats: How David Dastmalchian Brought Street Fighter's Psycho Crusher To The Screen

A self-proclaimed Street Fighter historian, David Dastmalchian made it his mission to get M. Bison right in the latest live-action adaptation, directed by Kitao Sakurai. The actor shared some of his process, taking host Liam Crowley behind the scenes of the iconic Psycho Crusher move, during this week's episode of Coffee Chats.

Street Fighter brings together an eclectic mix of A-list talent, much like M. Bison gathers a variety of fighters for his tournament in the narrative. While the story revolves around Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken's (Noah Centineo) broken friendship, they are joined by Jason Momoa as Blanka, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, WWE star Cody Rhodes as Guile, and much more.

In the basement of Videogamesnewyork, which was magically transformed into a makeshift coffee shop, ScreenRant interviewed Dastmalchian about how he stepped into the mindset of an evil dictator, as well as what it took to execute some of his signature moves.

Street Fighter's David Dastmalchian Details The Steps To Using M. Bison Moves

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• PARAMOUNT PICTURES, CAPCOM AND LEGENDARY

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After sipping his brewed coffee with oat milk, Dastmalchian shared his personal feelings about joining the world of Street Fighter. Counting himself "so freaking honored and so lucky," he explained that this franchise goes above and beyond the normal gratitude he feels to be a working actor. "When you get to be a part of bringing to life things [that people] have loved for their whole lives, it's just this great honor." But while it made him feel like a kid again, there was also "this immense weight of pressure because you know that there are millions of people who have been breaking their thumbs for decades trying to master their abilities."

With Street Fighter, everybody's got their special finishes, everyone's got their special moves, everyone's got their special defenses, and everyone's got their special tactics. There are people who have been playing Bison for years that want to see, 'Is he going to be able to do a Psycho Crusher? How is that going to work?'

Turns out it works with real sets and practical effects, as Dastmalchian confirmed, "I want to be able to do everything possible physically that I ever can as an actor because I love the challenge of trying to make things look cool on screen or on stage."

The Psycho Crusher, Bison's most powerful move, involves him levitating, floating up, and spinning like a cyclone all the way through his opponent. In order to accomplish it onscreen, a harness was created for Dastmalchian, "which was deeply uncomfortable, especially in the crotch region." The move itself was pretty difficult beyond the costume, as a matter of fact.

You're hovering, and then they tilt you to whatever angle you need to be. There's nothing to support your shoulders or your back, so you've got to use your abs, keep yourself upright, and hold still so that it looks right on camera. You got to look powerful doing this move. Then they start to spin it, and you want it to go as fast as possible because you're going to drive through your enemy.

The actor recalled feeling like "a kid at an amusement park" when he first completed the Psycho Crusher, but the euphoric sensation soon gave way to a very different one (which, ironically, also happens often at amusement parks). "I didn't actually puke, but I came very close. I almost puked my guts out because of motion sickness doing the Psycho Crusher, which I did on numerous occasions to get the shot right."

More About ScreenRant's Coffee Chats

Custom Image by Laura Watson, Jacques Reeder

Coffee Chats operates as a mixture of personal discussion through the lens of coffee as well as a dive into the guest's latest project. Along the way, we'll hit a Cold Brew Open, give our First Sip Synopsis, discuss our personal Coffee Callbacks, share our dream Desert Island Drinks and more.

"I pride myself on being a conversationalist, and there's no better setting to chat it up with someone than a cafe," ScreenRant Reporter, Host Liam Crowley said. "Back when I attended Syracuse University, I used to make 'coffee review' videos with my friends on my social media. To essentially expand that 60-second concept into a full-blown production and be accompanied by some of the biggest names in Hollywood is a true 'pinch me' moment."

"From the moment I reached out to Liam about joining ScreenRant's New York team, we envisioned expanding our content offerings with engaging, in-depth interviews, including an original series," ScreenRant Editorial, Branding, and PR Director Rob Keyes said. "Liam already had an idea for this, and Coffee Chats perfectly embodies this vision, offering a unique format that connects audiences with leading industry talent while supporting local businesses. We are thrilled to launch this series and collaborate with local establishments on this exciting initiative.”

"Over the past 21 years, ScreenRant has interviewed every star in Hollywood several times," ScreenRant Content Director Alex Leadbeater said. "Across press junkets, red carpets, convention panels and beyond, we've been a constant presence in the entertainment industry. Coffee Chats builds upon this success to create a more intimate backdrop for a more personal, longer-form style of interview."

Coffee Chats is created by Crowley, Keyes, and Leadbeater and is produced by Tiffany Loving, Laura Watson, Sierra Nutkevich, Jacques Reeder, John Aljets, Leah Nucum, Cesar Garcia, Kazden Risk, and Joe O'Shea.

Street Fighter arrives in theaters on October 16.

Check out our other Coffee Chats episodes with...

• Noah Centineo
• Jack Quaid
• Bryce Dallas Howard
• Gabriel Luna
• Ben Wang
• Liza Koshy
• May Hong & Arden Cho
• Walker Scobell
• Joel Kinnaman
• Riz Ahmed
• Lamorne Morris
• Jacob Batalon

Cast

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  Noah Centineo

  Ken Masters

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  Andrew Koji

  Ryu

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  Callina Liang

  Chun-Li

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  Cody Runnels

  Guile

Estranged fighters Ryu and Ken Masters enter the World Warrior Tournament after being recruited by the mysterious Chun-Li. As the trio engages in intense martial arts bouts, they uncover a dark conspiracy with direct ties to the tournament itself.