‘Dexter: Original Sin’: Patrick Gibson teases Dexter’s ‘defining moment’ in the upcoming season finale
Young Dexter Morgan will experience a “defining moment” during the season finale of Dexter: Original Sin, teases Patrick Gibson, adding that “something will shape him into the Dexter that fans know.”
The Irish actor plays the titular character in the prequel series. Set in 1991 Miami, Original Sin follows the 20-year-old version of Michael C. Hall‘s iconic serial killer as he begins working at the Miami Metro Police Department as a forensic intern. With the help of his father, Harry (Christian Slater), Dexter begins to direct his bloodthirsty urges toward those who deserve to be eliminated from society.
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Hall serves as the inner voice of Dexter’s younger self. Other cast members include Molly Brown as Debra Morgan, Christina Milian as María LaGuerta, James Martinez as Angel Batista, Alex Shimizu as Vince Masuka, Reno Wilson as Bobby Watt, Patrick Dempsey as Aaron Spencer, and Sarah Michelle Gellar as Tanya Martin.
Paramount+ with Showtime
Here is our full Q&A with Gibson:
Gold Derby: How big of a fan were you of the original Dexter, which aired from 2006 to 2013?
Patrick Gibson: I was a little bit young when it first came out, I guess 8 or 9. But I had an older brother and he watched the show and so I’d catch little snippets of it. I remember being really intrigued by this mad concept that this guy worked in the police force and was also a serial killer. And then I started watching it when I was in high school and, funnily enough, I actually just watched the Clyde Phillips seasons, which were Seasons 1 to 4. When it came to auditioning, I went back and quickly binge-watched the whole thing. So yeah, I was a big fan of the show to begin with.
What was it like meeting Michael C. Hall for the first time, and what advice did he give you?
He was amazing. So, the first time we met was just over Zoom and they were doing a table read. And then he emailed me and we spoke about the character. He’s played this character for so long, and it’s a strange character to live with, because he doesn’t feel emotions in the way that you or I or most people do. It’s an odd acting challenge in that sense, because normally you’re kind of tapping into your empathy and this is really just a completely new mode of thinking. How do you make a character that doesn’t feel anything empathetic for an audience? Michael had a lot of really interesting insights into the ways to make what on paper is not a relatable character, very relatable.
What is the secret to playing Dexter? How do you get his voice and his mannerisms just right while on set?
I spent a lot of time just listening to Michael and watching him. He has a very unique sensibility and kind of manner. His movements are very measured and precise, and everything he does as a character, he’s so meticulous. He cleans up a crime scene so well. He’s got kind of OCD tendencies. I worked with a dialogue coach and cut out all of his dialogue from the first season. And that was my point of reference for the whole thing. It was a strange thing to have Michael C. Hall’s voice in my head at all times. I’d be walking down the street with my headphones and just listening to him
At least it’s a nice, soothing type of voice.
That’s true! He does have an amazing voice. And what’s so interesting is you notice he has different speech patterns depending on where he is. His inner monologue is a very specific sound. And then how he behaves at a crime scene, and how he is with Deb, and all these different kind of places in his life have their own unique quality, which is such an interesting thing for a character. It’s actually not something I’ve asked Michael about, but yeah, it feels like instinctive for him.
Is there anything you can tease about the upcoming season finale? I don’t want you to get fired or anything.
Well, it’s too late, they can’t fire me now! [laughs] Obviously if you’ve seen up to Episode 9, we now know who the big bad is. But also, Episode 9 is very surprising because it introduces this whole other character and whole other element that was kind of slightly on the periphery, but we weren’t quite expecting. I would say there would be a lot more to see from that side of things. And also I think we’ll see Dexter in a defining moment that bookends the series in a really nice way because we really start from him as a virgin, so to speak, in terms of his serial killer ways. And then we finish with a defining moment and something that will shape him into the Dexter that fans know.
That’s a good tease.
I should be a politician! That’s so many words, and I basically said nothing.
On this show you are working with TV royalty, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer [Gellar] as your supervisor, Dr. McDreamy [Dempsey] as your captain, and Mr. Robot [Slater] as your father. Do you ever just sit back and nerd out?
It was really surreal, yeah. I didn’t know any of these guys were going to be in it. I had no idea until I showed up for a costume fitting and I saw all the pictures on the wall. I’ve been a huge fan of all of those people. I think the first one I saw was Christian Slater being Harry, and finding out that he was going to be my dad was so weird. I just had to remind myself to be cool, especially when Sarah showed up. That was tough. I don’t know how much I stuck to the plan of staying cool, but she was great, she’s such a legend. The best thing was, they all came to it with so much enthusiasm and passion and excitement. For people who’ve been working in the industry for so long, to see how they turn up to set as excited as I am was really exciting and just nice to see.
Before Dexter: Original Sin, you starred in the cult series The OA. What do you remember most about that show, and about that whole experience?
The thing that struck me on that one was the parallels between the filming and the content. And especially in that first season, I didn’t realize how even more meta that idea would become. The boys and BBA were kind of thrown together all from different walks of life and different places, just like how none of us knew each other. And without being corny, it seemed to come at a time in all of our lives where we needed that little family. So yeah, that was really lovely. And then we also had [co-creator] Brit Marling asking us to take a leap of faith and follow them blindly into this insane story that seemed like it shouldn’t have worked, while OA is doing that same thing. That was something that really struck me, that odd similarity between life and art.
The season finale of Dexter: Original Sin streams Friday on Paramount+ with Showtime.
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