We were extremely excited to get the chance to talk to actor Michael C Hall about playing the strangely likeable serial killer Dexter, and while we wouldn’t dare suggest that Michael has anything in common with his disturbing on-screen character, he certainly shares Dexter’s rather unsettling intensity. Here’s what he had to say when TV & Satellite Week caught up with him the other week…

Where does the new series find Dexter?
From a logistical standpoint, he’s in a good place. In the series finale, he did in the Ice Truck Killer, who was also his own brother, while his other murders are still undetected. But he is also suffering from a gaping emotional wound. He has killed the only person who ever knew him for who he was, other than his father. The death of Dexter’s brother has created a huge void in him.

What happens in the new episodes?
Dexter’s girlfriend Rita gets suspicious about the part he may have played in her husband, Paul, being sent to prison. She starts to think that Dexter has a drug problem. He goes along with it to get her off his case and agrees to attend Narcotics Anonymous.

Why do you think the show is so popular?
Viewers are welcomed into the interior world of someone doing reprehensible things and yet it is presented in a way that, despite Dexter’s claims to the contrary, makes him relatable as a human being. People cherish being presented with something that is ambiguous, that is neither black nor white, but operates in grey areas.

What do you like most about Dexter?
He is a fascinating character to play. The trait in him that impresses me more than anything is his capacity for stress management. I’m very sceptical about Dexter’s claim that he lacks capacity for authentic emotion. He shows plenty of chinks in his armour during the second series.

Has any scene on the show ever grossed you out?
I’m not desensitised to death and violence, but when it comes to prosthetic limbs and stuff, nothing really fazes me.

Is it hard shaking off such a dark character when you’re off set?
There is a degree to which I do take the work home with me. That’s an occupational hazard and also part of the fun of it. Over the course of a series, I am always living with Dexter, but just the act of washing off my make-up and putting on my own clothes, or maybe going for a run and breaking a sweat, gets him out of my head.

How do you respond to critics who claim the show makes viewers empathise with a killer?
That doesn’t keep me awake at night. We all have secrets, though maybe not all as potent as those Dexter carries around.

After Six Feet Under, aren’t you sick of working with corpses?
I know, I can’t seem to get away from dead bodies, but I’m more on the supply side this time.

Do you still see your ex-colleagues from Six Feet Under?
I don’t see them as much as I once did, but I try to catch up on the phone or in person. I had dinner with Peter Krause not so long ago.

How do you spend your down time?
It takes five months to film each series of Dexter, so the schedule is intense, but there is a good amount of time to twiddle your thumbs or travel. I did a film this past hiatus called The Game, and that was a lot of fun. It was a real change of pace and I hope to mix up my projects a bit more.

A romantic comedy, perhaps?
Well, certain scenes from Dexter do seem like a romantic comedy. If you piece together Dexter’s scenes with Rita, it kind of plays like that – just with a really significant underbelly.

So, are you happy to keep playing him?
This show is a bit like a shark, it has to continue to move forward or it will die. But we are currently shooting the third series and, yes, I can see myself doing it for some time.

Dexter returns to your screens on Sunday 6th July, 10pm on FX