In a spinoff-laden 2024 that even gave Scar from “The Lion King” a sneaky origin story, it’s no marvel that Showtime’s foremost serial killer is again for “Dexter: Authentic Sin.”
The brand new prequel collection is streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime and — spoiler alert — begins by foreshadowing Michael C. Corridor’s return because the intelligent antihero for the upcoming “Dexter: Resurrection” sequel collection. That reveal places much more stress on “Authentic Sin” star Patrick Gibson to nail his rendition of the blood-thirsty title character at 20.
“Once I noticed this script, my preliminary thought was, ‘Dang, that’s going to be robust for the man who has to play Dexter as a result of that’s such a efficiency to comply with,’” actress Molly Brown advised IndieWire. “However Michael simply wasn’t completed with the character, and the viewers isn’t completed both. The one approach you are able to do that’s if each events really feel that approach, they usually do.”
Gibson is making 1991’s Dexter his personal, Brown mentioned, by thriving within the advanced mask-work that’s required to play a deadly psychopath studying to hide his still-emerging situation. Conversely, Brown feels a sort of “kismet” portraying the unflappably real Deb, Dexter’s sister, as an in any other case common and relatable 17-year-old.
“I’ve by no means gotten to play all the emotional bandwidth of a personality the best way that I acquired to with this position,” mentioned Brown, noting the advantages of working throughout all ten episodes directly. “I’ve largely achieved lots of guest-starring work and had roles in films the place you’re there to serve the story. This felt like I used to be there to serve Deb.”
As Debra Morgan — a fan-favorite “Dexter” character originated by Jennifer Carpenter — Brown assumes the center of the franchise for a lot of. The actress was too younger to look at the unique present when it aired (“I’d have been… six?” she guessed), however she caught up in school and has been a viewer ever since. Watching the present together with her brother, Brown mentioned, her sister-in-law as soon as entered the room and mistakenly thought it was already Brown on TV.
“It’s humorous as a result of I’m not placing on a voice. We simply have the same approach of talking,” she mentioned. “What I’ve been advised earlier than by folks on this trade is when a task is supposed for you will probably be for you, and I actually assume me getting this chance is proof of that.”
“Authentic Sin” solid Brown as Deb for a five-month shoot and commenced with two weeks on-location capturing key exterior scenes in Miami. That dropped Brown and her co-star Gibson instantly into “an enormous climactic scene in episode eight.”
“I can’t say an excessive amount of about what occurs within the scene, however it’s Debra at certainly one of her lowest factors,” Brown mentioned. “One of many issues that I actually like on this collection, the prequel, is that you simply present their sibling relationship evolve over the course of time.”
She continued, “Within the unique present, Dexter is admittedly good at being a supportive brother, however in ours, he’s actually failing. This is without doubt one of the instances the place he comes via for her, and so she has this launch. It’s simply hilarious that that was the primary scene we ever did collectively.”
Broadly, the character matches Brown like a latex glove. She has but to fulfill Carpenter in-person however acquired her predecessor’s blessing via the identical supply that gave her the large information.
“She gave the casting director John Papsidera a message to cross to me, which was very nice that I’ve her help,” Brown mentioned. “[She said] that she’s my greatest fan, which she and my mother might need to debate whether or not that’s true or not.”
The pure match between Brown and Carpenter is a testomony to the artwork of nice casting, and Deb’s memorable cadence and vitality appears innate to each actresses. Nonetheless, the surprisingly difficult half — enjoying a brand new model of a beloved legacy character as she would have acted up to now — was not with out its challenges.
A major peak distinction between Carpenter and Brown brought about “Authentic Sin” to put in writing Deb onto a highschool volleyball court docket, the place the five-foot-three actress endured a brutal bodily and psychological endurance check regardless of working with sports activities coordinators. “On the day I had 200 background actors watching me simply fuck up volleyball,” Brown mentioned.
Plus, in a prequel for a franchise with a historical past so long as “Dexter” and its spinoffs, squaring up canonical occasions you already know are nonetheless to come back will be sophisticated. Requested a couple of weird actuality — that sooner or later Deb will profess her romantic love for the exact same organic brother we’re watching her pal round with in “Authentic Sin” — Brown is good-humored and diplomatic.
“I selected to not actually play into any of that, at the very least I hope it doesn’t look like I did,” she mentioned. “No matter how folks really feel about the place the present took that side of it, what we had been left with in [Season 7] was Deb discovering that out for the primary time. So I didn’t have to include any of that into my efficiency.”
That dedication to authenticity will drive Deb via to no matter awaits her in Episode 8 — and even additional into the legacy of one of the vital resilient killers on TV. Appearing reverse “Heathers” icon Christian Slater, as a youthful model of Deb and Dexter’s dad, Brown mentioned underscored the lasting draw of darkish vigilante justice.
“Everyone seems to be placing on a efficiency and watching Dexter attempt to determine the way to placed on that efficiency actually works,” the “Authentic Sin” star mentioned. “It’s additionally what makes Debra go off much more when she’s on the lookout for something actual from these males in her life.”
“Dexter: Authentic Sin” premiered Friday, December 13 on Paramount+ with Showtime. New episodes can be launched weekly.