Dexter star horrified life may have imitated his art
EDMONTON — The actor who portrays a fictional serial killer on the popular TV show Dexter says it’s horrifying to think that a convicted murderer may have taken some inspiration from his character.
Michael C. Hall was a guest on the CBC arts program Q this week for an interview before the show’s Season 7 finale, which airs this weekend. Host Jian Ghomeshi brought up the case of Mark Twitchell, who was convicted in 2011 of luring, murdering and dismembering an Edmonton man.
Twitchell’s headline-grabbing trial heard how he had a fascination with Hall’s character, Dexter Morgan, who works by day as a police blood spatter analyst, but murders in the name of vigilante justice.
Hall was asked if he considered the effect his show has had on popular culture.
“All I can say to that is, it’s horrifying to entertain the notion that something you did inspired that,” Hall said. “I immediately found myself saying, ‘Well, you know, he would have found something else to inspire him,’ but I don’t know.
“To be perfectly honest, it’s a troubling thing to consider.”
Hall said he wouldn’t stop making Dexter because someone became fixated on its violence.
“I don’t think it is a primer on serial killing or it advocates the lifestyle. I would hope that people’s appreciation was more than some sort of fetishization with the kill scenes,” he said.
“But it seems that Dexter had something to do with it. It’s horrifying.”