TV INTERVIEW: MICHAEL C. HALL

TV's best loved serial killer discusses his appeal

By: Izumi Hasegawa

September 25, 2010

Izumi Hasegawa: Where is the fine line between pride and shame in the fact that you made a serial killer seem lovable?

Michael C. Hall: Wow. I don't feel ashamed of it. That's what the show aspired to do initially, and we're in really uncharted waters. When we made the pilot, I didn't foresee a character who would marry, have a child, become widowed -- all these things. So every season is a whole new world, and I don't feel a sense of shame because I don't really think the show is advocating serial murder. I think it's a meditational morality, really.

IH: I do.

MCH: Well that's your problem. But I'm just thankful that people find it entertaining and, hopefully, thought-provoking. That's what we aspire to do.

IH: Can you talk about the emotional arc Dexter on this season? Is there a place he's going that's darker than what we've seen before? Is that possible?

MCH: I think an appetite remains for killing, and I think there's also an unexpressible, unquenchable vengeance alive in Dexter now because of the fact that he killed Trinity and allowed him to express himself, to express a sense of kinship and a sense of mercy, only to discover that the guy had done in his wife. He can't bring Trinity back to life and kill him again, so he has to find other victims. But the "drug" of it is not giving him the same hit, so we'll see that. But the appetite remains.

IH: It's been a pretty singular year for you, creatively, professionally, and personally.

MCH: I hope so.

IH: Was it nice for you to come back to work and roll up your sleeves and jump back in?

MCH: It's a real gift to be able to go back to work, and I count myself lucky on so many fronts, and certainly in regards to the Hodgkin's. But one of the best things about it is that it emerged at a time when we were close to the end of shooting. I was able to treat it over the hiatus and it didn't interrupt our production schedule, which, obviously, would have its effect on me, but it would have its effect on our cast, our crew, people who count on this family to keep making the show so they can keep working. If I hadn't showed up, probably no one else would have.

IH: What I think is unique is, because he does the narration, we hear a lot of his thoughts for the first time. I think we really are getting into the head of what makes a serial killer and really realizing that it's not just a profile on the computer. It's very complex. Maybe you can comment on that...

MCH: I think Dexter is even singular among serial killers. Without his code, no matter how well-drawn the character, we wouldn't be inclined to relate to a guy who wasn't killing despicable people. You're like, "Give him a pass. At least he's taking some responsibility for his darkness." But I think that the voiceover element from the beginning, and now as much as ever, brings the audience into a sense of intimacy with the character that nobody else in the character's world appreciates. So you're kind of on the ride with him.

IH: Dexter is going to be the number one suspect in his wife's murder when we come back to the show, I assume. Is he going to be scrambling a lot? What's this going to be?

MCH: Those questions will be addressed. The spouse is always the first person people look to. But he does potentially have an alibi, so...

IH: Killing another man who killed his wife.

MCH: Right.

IH: It gets complicated.

MCH: I don't want to be too specific because part of the fun of watching the show is to find out how those questions are answered. But they're there and we deal with them.

IH: The bar was so high for the past season. How challenging was it to go back and say, "We really ended on a strong note. Where do we go from here?"

MCH: I've had the same feeling after every season that I had after last season which is, "What are we gonna do now?" But I think the end of the fourth season was huge and had a big effect, but I think it resets the stage for the character in the world that we're all creating in such a beautiful way that it's an opportunity as much as it's a problem.

IH: Should Dexter's story ever have to end? Do you ever picture a way you might enjoy seeing it end, either emotionally or tonally?

MCH: I think we're at a point where everybody involved has their ideas about where things might go. We're not at a point where we have to definitively decide. I can't believe I'm still doing it.

IH: If you play a successful doctor on TV, doctors become a part of your fan base. I'm wondering if your fan base has changed over and if you've had any interesting correspondence with anyone?

MCH: I'm in touch pretty regularly with like 95% of the serial killers in the world, but we have a confidentiality thing, so...

IH: What would be the ideal super powers for you?

MCH: Flying.

IH: Any reason?

MCH: 'Cause I can't fly. You could avoid traffic.