Michael C Hall is an American actor whose television roles include David Fisher in ‘Six Feet Under’ and Dexter Morgan on the showtime series ‘Dexter’ on Star World. Having won a Golden Globe in 2009 and a Screen Actors Guild award for his role in ‘Dexter’, he feels that Dexter’s character is unique and a TV role is time consuming.
■ How did Dexter happen and why did you take it up?
I took a couple of weeks to think about it before I agreed to do it. I had just finished a television series that lasted for five years and I knew it was an open-ended commitment I was making. The character was something that would require a great deal of focus and energy. Also when I first saw Dexter on paper, I thought huh, how? How? How do I approach this? So I took some time just to think about those kinds of questions. I didn’t just jump right on board, I took some time to think about it, but ultimately the challenges of the character and the challenges as an actor the character presented, and the people I would be working with, some of whom I’d worked with on ‘Six Feet Under’, all together allowed me to make the leap of faith.
■ Did you study anything? Did you read up on serial killers?
Yeah, I read some transcripts of interviews with serial killers and also some books by FBI profilers who dedicated their work to pinpointing what makes up a serial killer. I think Dexter himself would have familiarised himself with those things in his attempt to avoid that profile. And I was able to meet with a blood spatter analyst in Miami, when we shot the pilot, and talked to him about the work he does and also the sort of inter-office politics that exists between a civilian working with the police department. But ultimately, the role required an imaginative leap. I didn’t abduct or kill anyone in preparation for the part [he laughs].