crimes and books by FBI profilers. "I would imagine that Dexter would familiarize himself with that kind of thing just out of his desire not to fit any profile," Hall says. "But ultimately, [playing the role] requires an imaginative leap, unless you're going to commit some felonies."
FAKING REAL
That imaginative leap required Hall to make choices about how to play a character who has no authentic emotions yet must constantly fake them in his interactions with his sister, girlfriend, and co-workers. "It's a tricky thing to consider, but really I think we can all relate to the sense that we fake human interactions," Hall says. But faking Dexter's actions sometimes leaves more of an impression than Hall expected. Speaking with Back Stage two days after wrapping the second season, he admits he's having a difficult time winding down. "I think there's part of your body that doesn't distinguish between ritual and reality, and I think as a result there's a part of you — that I maybe can't even consciously articulate — that feels like it all really happened," Hall says. "It's an occupational hazard."
Despite the character's brutal tendencies, it's hard for Hall, like most viewers, not to relate to his character. Dexter's brand of vigilante justice provides a fantasy for audiences aching for a sense of control over their own lives. His exceptional talent for cognitively assessing social situations, unclouded by pesky emotions, makes him one of the most insightful characters on television. Hall fuels the potency of the characerization with what Dexter executive producer Sara Colleton cites as one of his specialized skills: "He can go from being incredibly sexy and attractive to really eerie and weird." Dexter's behavior can flip on a dime when the veil is lifted from his faked social interactions and his true desires reveal themselves. "He doesn't question his inauthenticity," Hall says. "It's sort of freeing — the idea that you're not bound by any idea but suiting your behavior to the action. He's an actor, I guess."
KILLER REWARDS
For Hall, the role has other perks. In addition to the fun he derives from wielding different sharp objects and the hauntingly realistic murder sets, the show has landed him much recognition. In 2007 he was nominated for Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe awards for the role. "I won't lie. It's really gratifying," Hall says, expressing his appreciation for the opportunity to do the work and the serendipity that initially landed him on television — director Sam Mendes recommended him to Alan Ball for Six Feet Under after working with him on Broadway in Cabaret, in which Hall played the Master of Ceremonies.
But Hall has been a factor in his own success by not allowing the fear of typecasting to deter him from playing two complex roles in shows that depict death and sexuality from unconventional angles. "Am I not going to take Six Feet Under because I'm afraid I'll be typecast as gay? Or do I not move toward Dexter because there are still dead bodies in it? I've just sort of followed the roles as they've revealed themselves, and I've been really lucky," he says.
In the future, he hopes he can be considered for less-dramatic roles as well. After all, the actor got his major break in Cabaret, belting show tunes on Broadway eight times a week for much of 1999 and 2000. He admits," Sometimes I'd like to be a little sillier and be invited to do that, because I feel like I'm silly in my life."
Back Stage West
Dec. 3, 2007
By Nicole Kristal
Michael C. Hall never intended to become casting directors' go-to guy for death-centric dramas. True, after playing mortician David Fisher for five seasons on HBO's Six Feet Under, he began wielding saws and knives as the title serial killer on Showtime's Dexter. The last thing he wanted to do after putting aside the embalming fluid was commit to another one-hour drama with 11-to-15-hour workdays. But after reading the script for Dexter, Hall didn't feel he had a choice.
"I didn't anticipate that I would see anything so soon that seemed, potentially, to be able to live up to [Six Feet Under], but Dexter did and has," says Hall. To prepare for the role, the actor immersed himself in talks with the lead blood-spatter analyst in Miami-Dade County, Fla (where Dexter works as a blood-spatter expert), and he read transcripts of interviews with serial killers, accounts of their