Debbie:
I never watched Six Feet Under, not even one moment of it, but one of my favorite actors did get his start (or thereabouts) on television on the show: Michael C. Hall, my dear, dear Dexter.
Now, I’m pretty sure you’ve never watched a moment of Dexter (which really needs to be remedied) but I think it would be fun to discuss what we love about Hall and the characters he’s created through his acting.
For me, it’s the way Hall can strike a balance between the obvious awkwardness a serial killer living amongst, well, non-serial killers feels, and the way he experiences normal human emotion yet thinks there’s something wrong with him. He’s believable, and not many people could pull that off successfully with a challenging role like Dexter.
What did Hall bring to David Fisher (yes, I totally looked up the character name on IMDb, that’s how far removed from 6FU I am) that blew you away?
Bob:
It’s funny because David Fisher is so different than a serial killer. The character begins the show as a closeted homosexual, completely uptight and conservative. He was a high strung character for the most part, with a lot of the pressure of the family business heaped on his shoulders. His older brother rejected the business and ran away to work at an organic co-op and left David to take it over, even though he had dreamed of going to law school.
His performance throughout the run of Six Feet Under was fantastic. I’m a little conflicted because some of his best acting work came through one of the plot lines I liked the least. Later in the series the character suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, which Hall did a great job with, even if the story line annoyed me more than anything.
I think my favorite Hall moments were when he was working with Peter Krause. They had an amazing chemistry on screen as brothers and were totally believable. Their relationship evolved and changed through the series, but in those small moments were they let their guard down and revealed how close they were — it was great stuff.
Plus, he sang. Does he sing on Dexter?
Debbie:
Other than the occasional lullaby to his son, I don’t recall a whole lot of singing on Dexter.
I may be seeing the connecting thread in Hall’s work: how he deals with the closeted nature of his characters. Granted, a closeted homosexual is worlds apart from a closeted serial killer, but only on the most obvious levels. Probably Hall’s acting techniques were very similar.
Bob:
Perhaps you are right, but I said he BEGINS the show in the closet. He doesn’t stay there for very long, so I’m not sure your hypothesis holds true. We definitely need some input from someone who has watched both shows, though!
So let’s open it to readers who have seen 6FU and Dexter … what do you think? Were there any similarities in the way Hall portrayed David Fisher and Dexter Morgan, and what do you love about it?
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Aug 18, 2011 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
Hall is a very quiet actor. He’s not showy, but that works really well for both of these characters. Both David and Dexter have a lot of inner turmoil and Hall is great at expressing that in very subtle ways.
I’m a new fan of Hall. One thing I’ve observed: his voice is incredible. I don’t mean when he’s singing, I mean when he’s speaking in that distinctive monotone. I mean, when a Dodge commercial comes on the radio and I hear that voice, I’m immediately drawn to it. Magnetic, that’s what it is. His deadpan voiceovers are what sold me on Dexter.
Regarding the singing… I randomly watched the movie Gamer this week – Hall plays an eccentric billionaire entrepreneur who invented a game called Society (like the Sims, but with real people) and Slayers (like the Sims but with real people killing each other). The movie is not great, but Hall is, and he sings and dances in it, which is why I brought it up.
But another thing – I think what he brings to any role is that dichotomy of calm and crazy in one person. He seems put together, and then he unleashes the weird. The transition is seamless, but still stunning. As Dexter, he often plays this cool-headed guy, and then in the kill scenes you see him with the wild light in his eyes. In Gamer, his character easily transitions between smooth talking billionaire and diabolically playful megalomaniac.
I don’t know about 6FU, but maybe you can tell me, Bob, whether he brings this same quality of contradiction to that role?
I didn’t watch 6FU regularly, but I did see quite a few episodes. I have seen every episode of Dexter. Other than MCH playing both character flawlessly, I see no similarities between them. To me Hall’s Dexter is one of the all time great television characters.