Dexter is one of the most renowned crime drama series. Michael C Hall gained immense popularity for his impressive performance as the titular character. However, it is surprising to know that he was not the one to know much about the show even after being the lead. Instead, guest star John Lithgow was the one who was told the entire story that was going to unfold.
John Lithgow played the character of the infamous Trinity Killer in the show. He joined in the eighth season of the show and took no time to be a fan favorite. According to the actor, he got to know about the entire story of the Trinity Killer before anybody as the makers were hellbent on casting him and left no stone unturned to convince him.
John Lithgow knew more about Dexter than Michael C Hall
The Showtime series focused on Dexter Morgan, a forensic technician who was secretly a serial killer at night and hunted murderers who had escaped punishment. The fourth season pitched the iconic and infamous Arthur Mitchell aka Trinity Killer portrayed by John Lithgow against Michael C Hall’s hero.
In a conversation with GQ, Trinity Killer actor John Lithgow admitted himself that he knew much more about the story than everyone. According to the Interstellar actor, the makers persuaded him very hard to take on the role and revealed to him far more details than intended.
“I got a terrific pitch from [showrunner] Clyde Phillips. He and John Goldwin, the producer, sat with me at CAA and banished my agents and said, ‘No, nobody else can hear this, and you can’t tell anybody about this. But we are going to tell you about the Trinity Killer.’ And they told me the entire detailed unfolding story.”
Lithgow added that when he met with his co-stars, he found none of them to be aware of the Trinity Killer’s story. Michael C Hall’s co-star didn’t hesitate to accept that he was told much more details than intended- “They had kept all this information from them. So I was the only person who knew.”
Check out the full interview here:
It also makes it evident that John Lithgow has risen to be a prominent name in the entertainment world and many makers want to associate with him. However, the casting was not so smooth as the Emmy winner repeatedly rejected the Michael C Hall series.
John Lithgow didn’t want to star in the show initially
The ardent fans of Dexter would know how the inclusion of John Lithgow elevated the quality of the Michael C Hall series. Shockingly, the star was not at all willing to join the show initially and it took much persuasion to convince him.
The Killers of the Flower Moon actor stated that after hearing the entire story about the Trinity Killer, he didn’t agree to take the role.
“Having heard all of that, I said no. ‘I won’t tell anybody any of this, but no. I’m not doing that.'”
Ultimately, his agent and lawyer came to use and convinced him to take the role. Later the role of Trinity Killer also earned him a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor. The popularity of Arthur Mitchell also led him to make a guest appearance in the spin-off series Dexter: New Blood as well.
Dexter can be streamed on Paramount+.
