Michael C. Hall on Dexter's past, present and future

Based on the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay, hit US drama Dexter currently airs on FX here in the UK. Michael C. Hall (best known for acclaimed drama Six Feet Under) is Dexter Morgan; an incredibly likeable forensics expert working for the Miami Metro Police Department.

He also happens to be a serial killer. Albeit, one that kills murderers who can't otherwise be brought to justice. It's his own moral immoral code, if you get my drift.

Now in its sixth season, key elements required for superlative drama are executed to the highest degree: writing, plot, storyline, acting - all are absolutely sublime. Kudos to Michael C. Hall who fits the lead role like a glove; he exudes a je ne sais quoi - a quality of 'otherness' - in spades.

This enhances the moral ambiguity of Dexter the character and makes him utterly compelling. Crucially, it's mirrored and reflected in the series itself; 'good' and 'evil' are cleverly subverted on all levels. As an audience, we find ourselves rooting for a killer and booing the police.

To mark the 18 June DVD and Blu-ray release of the sixth season, here's an interview conducted with Michael C. Hall, the award-winning star of the show Michael C. Hall.

How did you prepare yourself to play Dexter? I mean, did you take inspiration from any real psychopath?

Yes, I read transcripts of interviews with serial killers, watched some documentaries that I came across, read some books by FBI Profilers who detailed in their mind what makes up a profile of a serial killer.

I would imagine that Dexter himself would have familiarised himself with that in an attempt to avoid fitting any such profile. I did all of those things. Ultimately, I think the role requires an imaginative leap. He is singular in my experience, in terms of the kinds of people he targets and the way he operates.

Do you have any idea how people can love a guy like Dexter?

I think we all have our shadow side. We all have secrets that we keep. Dexter, perhaps, has bigger, more formidable secrets and shadows than the average person, but I think that's a part of what makes him relatable.

When you compare Dexter in the sixth season with the Dexter in the first season, what to you is the most interesting difference?

I think Dexter's been thrust into situations that have forced him to either experience himself or simulate an experience. You know, I think it's still arguable that it's undeniably more human. I think he has experienced a genuine sense of connection to his son, certainly someone who wasn't in the world at the beginning of the show.

He maintains a sense of connection to, an allegiance to his sister, though I think that was something that was there from the beginning. I think the biggest change that's happened for Dexter has been that he's seen his behaviour affecting more than just him. It's resulted in the death of Rita. It's resulted in what his son has witnessed.

It's resulted in a lot of confusion for his sister and he's certainly experienced himself in ways that are undeniably more typically human. I think his claim that he is without a capacity for humanity has been kind of blown out of the water, but I don't know that we were ever meant to totally believe that that was true.

Why do you think Dexter has become such a successful, long-lasting show?

I think it's a character who people have relished the opportunity to identify with. Dexter is obviously a killer, but he's always, as we're introduced to him, afflicted with a unique set of circumstances and challenges, and I think we're invited to actually admire the way he has managed his darker impulses.

And as far as the show lasting as long as it has, I think that's down to our writing staff; people who have done such a great job at imagining and reimagining the character's world and the challenges that they can put in front of him.

And, you know, there have been some fundamental things that have really shaken up his world and changed the landscape, and I think that's always a good thing to be able to do if you're going to sustain the show as long as we have.

Do you consider Dexter a hero because he only kills bad people?

You know, I think those kinds of labels are left for audience members to debate. I consider Dexter to be a person with a certain set of circumstances that are certainly unique, but I don't put any kind of white or black hat on him. He's just a guy trying to deal with his gifts and limitations.

There are many unanswered questions at the end of season six; will we find answers for these questions in season seven?

Part of the richness and the fun of the world that the writers have created in season six is - it's got so many loose ends and story arcs that need resolution. So yes, I would hope that anything you're preoccupied with, as an audience member, will be revisited and addressed in the seventh season.

Season seven and eight are in the pipeline, have you got a thought on how you would like things to end for Dexter?

It's difficult, to be honest, for me to foresee an entirely happy ending for the character. I do have my idea, or ideas, about how the story may end, but you know those decisions have yet to be set in stone, certainly. It'll be sometime probably before that happens.

But I don't want to give anything away, nor am I really in a position yet to know what I would be giving away, but I do struggle to imagine a purely happy ending for the show or the character.

Dexter season six concludes Friday 15 June on FX. The sixth season is released on DVD and Blu-ray on 18 June.