By Christina Radish
|
|
|
Michael C. Hall at the premiere of "Dexter" held at the Directors Guild of America in West Hollywood, Calif. on September 19, 2006.
|
On the hit Showtime original series Dexter, based on the novels by Jeff Lindsay, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is a jovial employee in the Miami Metropolitan Police Department’s crime lab, but his meticulously crafted life masks his true nature. In reality, Dexter is a disciplined and murderous psychopath, who slakes his bloodlust at night by carefully killing the serial killers he tracks down during the day.
With evidence of his murderous activities having surfaced, the blood spatter analyst hasn’t been able to do what he does best -- keep Miami clean by taking out the cold-blooded killers that slip through the justice system -- especially now that Sgt. Doakes (Erik King) is convinced that Dexter has something sinister to hide. His sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) has moved into his apartment, unable to get over the pain of nearly being murdered by her fiancé Rudy, the Ice Truck Killer, and Dexter’s only brother, whom he killed. And, his girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz) not only suspects Dexter of framing her ex-husband and sending him to jail, but also believes him to be a drug addict. Making matters worse, Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine), an FBI agent famous for catching serial killers, is in from Washington to head up the search for Dexter, who has been dubbed the “Bay Harbor Butcher.”
Stage trained actor Michael C. Hall, best known for his work on the groundbreaking series Six Feet Under, talks to MediaBlvd Magazine about sympathizing with such a complex character.
MediaBlvd Magazine> Last season ended with Dexter getting a bit of an emotional equilibrium. Does he have that throughout this season, or does all of the stress of being discovered wipe that out?
Michael C. Hall> His world is pretty rocked. With the Ice Truck Killer, he encountered a person he never anticipated encountering, who sees him for who he is and accepts him as such, and really has no choice but to do him in. Dexter is still reeling from what happened last season. Any footing that he was able to establish for himself was pretty much immediately pulled out from under him.
MediaBlvd> Dexter believes he has no emotions, but he still has emotional reactions to things. Why do you think that is?
Michael> He does maintain his claim that he’s without the capacity for authentic human emotion. But, what’s fun about playing him and watching him is watching that get tested. When we first met him, he had constructed a lot of things for himself -- his work life, his relationships, his girlfriend and her family, his sister and his colleagues. It’s only when those things that he’s pragmatically and methodically constructed for himself start to crumble that he has no choice, but to respond in a way that elicits what he may not admit is evidence of a real emotional connection, even though it is. I have my opinions about whether or not Dexter is human, and I think he is. A lot of his journey, over the course of the second season, will be negotiating his growing awareness of that fact with the fact that his compulsion remains. He has to learn how to reconcile those things.
MediaBlvd> Did you have any apprehension, in regard to how viewers would perceive this character?
Michael> No. It’s always a risk, anytime you take a leap and commit yourself to a new character and a new story. That goes with the territory. But, I really anticipated -- and, maybe this had to do with my experience on Six Feet Under, and just being a part of the emergence of original programming on cable networks, and shows that took more chances -- that people would appreciate being given a little more credit than they’re accustomed to being given, as they were invited to grapple with this world and this character. Certainly, I was pleasantly surprised about the extent to which that happened, but I did have a reasonable amount of hope that it would.
MediaBlvd> What sort of reactions do you get from people on the street? Are they intimidated by you?
Michael> The people who are afraid of me, I wonder if they have a reason for it. People, generally, just express their enthusiasm about the show and the character. They want to make sure the show is coming back, which is always really encouraging. And, they usually express a sense of guilt over their affection for the character. They’ll say things like, “Oh, boy, I find myself identifying with your character, and that makes me feel kind of funny. But, I really like him.” And, I think that’s great. That’s what the show aspires to.
MediaBlvd> Do you think you understood Dexter from the get-go, or did you take a little time to hit your stride with him?
Michael> When we met Dexter in the pilot episode, you didn’t really spend that much time with him, when he was really firing on all cylinders, and at the top of his game. I think my understanding of Dexter evolved as Dexter’s understanding of himself evolved.
MediaBlvd> Is it easier for you to get into character now than when you first started the show?
Michael> I guess so. All the work we’ve done serves as preparation for the work we’re doing now. When we started, we didn’t have any of that soil. Now, we can just grow out of that.
MediaBlvd> As the show moves along, do you feel more or less affection for Dexter?
Michael> More. Part of my job, in spite of his claims of having a closed heart, is to open my heart to him. The more I learn about Dexter, as he learns about himself, the more affection and respect I have for him. We all have our shadow. His is about as formidable a shadow as you can imagine, but he has taken unique responsibility for it. I admire him for that.
MediaBlvd> How do you stay physically and mentally in shape, so that you have enough stamina to handle this kind of role?
Michael> I try to get as much sleep as I can. And, I try to just take it one scene at a time. There are a lot of twists and turns. With the trajectory of the first season being as intense as it was, the twists and turns of the second are just as intense. I try to sweat when I can, and work it out. I do cardio, light weights and stretching, and I run. I don’t really have any time to play competitive sports. But, there are some days when I’m killing someone, and that serves as my work-out.
MediaBlvd> Do you think Dexter has an underlying desire for social acceptance?
Michael> If there’s an underlying desire -- and you certainly feel it manifest itself, from time to time -- it’s a desire for revelation. I think he has a desire to expose all of who he is, to the world. A part of what so compelled him and seduced him with the ice truck killer was that this was a person who was showing his work to the world, whereas Dexter is more of a low-impact serial killer. He’s burying what he is, so that he leaves no trace. He finds himself in situations, and thrives on situations -- and, certainly, this is true in the second season -- that allow him to reveal his deepest, darkest secrets in a covert way that is, in some way, emotionally resonant for him. He feels as if he has, legitimately, unburdened himself, even though people don’t know exactly what he’s telling them.
MediaBlvd> Have you thought about the strangeness of a show where the police sergeant is actually the bad guy?
Michael> Yeah. It’s fantastic. The guy who has the sixth sense about the serial killer is the one we’re almost rooting against. I love the way the show turns so many things on its head. That’s a part of the appeal for me, for sure.
MediaBlvd> What are you looking forward to doing this year?
Michael> It’s hard to say what I’m looking forward to because I’m so in the midst of it, but I think part of the fun of this season is the situations that Dexter attracts to himself, but doesn’t necessarily seek out. He finds himself backed into corners that back him into other corners, that put him in situations that, surprisingly, allow him to reveal himself in a way that he hasn’t been invited to, or even required to, before. That’s been fun to play.
MediaBlvd> Is departing from the book similar to losing a safety net?
Michael> Yeah, and that’s scary, but it’s also exhilarating. I can certainly feel it from the writer’s room. There’s a sense of, “Okay, it’s up to us. What are we going to do?” It’s a new invigoration. We needed it. We all finished the first season and thought, “My goodness, we’ve really resolved a great deal.” From a plot standpoint, things were resolved, but for all that resolution, Dexter experienced them all as open wounds. He’s cracked open by things that have happened, and any little thing can get in there and stir the soup.
MediaBlvd> Seeing as they both kill people, how would you compare Dexter to Tony Soprano?
Michael> They’re both arguably sociopathic, in their own way. They both have a real capacity for compartmentalization. Tony wears his brutality on his sleeve a little bit more than Dexter does, and a lot more people are in on his actions. But, they’re both characters that an audience is invited to sympathize with, in spite of their quite reprehensible behavior. Speaking to the whole idea of Dexter’s emerging emotional life, there’s always the argument that whatever emerges is something that comes from a pragmatic place. You can still argue that he’s cultivating it all. It’s not entirely clear that what we are seeing as the emergence of genuine emotion, on Dexter’s part, isn’t just something the he recognizes as suiting the situation.
MediaBlvd> With Six Feet Under having been such a hit, how does it feel to have another hit show?
Michael> I have a lot of gratitude. I didn’t anticipate that I would do another television series, after Six Feet Under, in part because I didn’t think anything would come along that would give me enough confidence to say yes, that would be as artistically viable and challenging, to me, as an actor. So, I feel really fortunate.
MediaBlvd> Do you feel like this will be one of the original series that makes Showtime as viable as HBO?
Michael> I don’t know. I can’t really speak to the pay cable wars. But, I have the impression that Showtime is very much behind the show, and very enthusiastic about what it’s done for the network. I would reasonably hope that, when people look back at the story of Showtime’s emergence, as an original programmer, that Dexter would be a big step that they’ve taken.
MediaBlvd> Between undertaking and murdering, are you completely desensitized to violence?
Michael> Well, it’s nice to be on the supply side now. But, I am, and I don’t think I appreciate the extent to which I am. I’m not desensitized to death and violence, but when it comes to prosthetic limbs and stuff, nothing really phases me.
MediaBlvd> Do people ever pitch you romantic comedies?
Michael> Maybe someday. In a way, I think Dexter has romantic comedy elements. If you piece together individual scenes with Rita, it kind of plays like a romantic comedy, just with a really significant underbelly.
MediaBlvd> Can you watch yourself with an objective eye?
Michael> Yeah. I think there’s a lot you can learn, watching yourself, especially if you’re watching yourself do something that you’re continuing to do. There comes a point where it’s just like, “Alight, enough already. I can’t watch myself anymore.” But, I think there’s a real education involved, too.
MediaBlvd> How much does all of the critical acclaim for the show mean to you?
Michael> It’s fantastic to be recognized for your work. It’s not why you do it, but if somebody recognizes you for doing a good job, it’s gratifying. We don’t do these things in a vacuum. We’re telling stories for people to experience and, hopefully, respond to. And, being recognized in that way suggests that people are responding, so it’s great.
MediaBlvd> Do you have any reservations about the rest of your career, following this role? Are you worried at all about typecasting?
Michael> I didn’t have enough trepidation about playing a gay funeral director not to play it, and I didn’t have enough trepidation about playing a serial killer not to take the challenge. If people are inclined to associate me with a character I’m playing, I supposed that’s a good thing. It’s better than having someone say, “Well, clearly, you’re not that guy.”
MediaBlvd> What do you do when you’re not working?
Michael> I had a significant hiatus, after season one ended, and I actually made the decision not to work. I wanted to catch my breath, after five seasons of Six Feet Under, and going straight into Dexter. I did a lot of traveling. I took trips to Hawaii and Ireland. I went scuba diving in Florida. I took a trip to Southeast Asia with a friend of mine, that was pretty extensive. And, I also renovated my home in Los Angeles. I did a lot of things for myself, and reacquainted myself with myself.
