Exclusive: Dexter Star David Zayas Talks Season Four, And What’s Next For Angel Batista
Interview and Written By: Darby Semeniuk
Produced By: Adam Wright
Showtime’s Dexter launches its highly anticipated fourth season on Sunday September 27 and fans are ready to find out what life is like with a growing Morgan family, a changing Miami Metro homicide team and a new killer in town.
David Zayas, who has played Dexter’s co-worker Angel Batista since the show’s launch in 2006, says the fourth season will continue to explore the richness of each character in the popular drama – something he understands well after 15 years as a police officer in New York City.
“Being a police officer will help anybody who deals with characters, with people,” says Zayas. “It’s nothing but helped me. You observe every type of character and personality.”
“You really get into the mind of this individual,” he says about Michael C. Hall’s Dexter Morgan character. “Whether it’s something moral or something violent, you understand why he’s doing something. When Dexter does something shocking, it’s probably just as shocking to Dexter.”
When asked about working with Hall, Zayas says “He sets the tone and he makes the environment. He brings a lot of professionalism.”
“He’s great on the show,” he adds. “It’s interesting to watch him track his character. It’s a hard role, and it’s a performance that should be acknowledged.”
Season three saw Dexter marry long-time girlfriend Rita Bennett (Julie Benz) and prepare for a new addition to the Morgan clan. He also dealt with the repercussions of his entanglement with Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits) and his family.
About his own character, Zayas says Angel’s love life continues to be one of his driving forces this season.
“Angel’s always looking for love – sometimes in the right places, sometimes in the wrong places,” he says. “This season will be no different.” The season premiere reveals a mysterious end to his third season relationship with Detective Barbara Gianna (Kristin Dattilo) and a new romantic interest for Batista.
“As an actor you go in and work moment to moment,” says Zayas. “I discover new things about Angel as I’m performing it. He’s a human being who’s a good guy. He makes mistakes, he relies on his friends, and he’s very trustworthy.”
“He’s multi-layered,” adds Zayas. “I think there are certain aspects that are positive and negative, just like you and me. I want somebody to watch my character on Dexter and say ‘yeah, I’ve gone through that.’ As an actor that’s what you’re trying to do… give a slice of life that people can recognize and relate to.”
When asked about Batista’s recent promotion on the Miami Metro homicide team, he says, “The one thing that changes with Angel, since he’s promoted to sergeant, there’s a lot more pressure, which makes his personality a lot more complicated.”
But his personality’s not the only thing getting more complicated this season. A serial murderer known as the ‘Trinity Killer’ – played by seasoned television, stage and screen actor John Lithgow – is in town, bringing fodder for crime investigation and Dexter-Harry code interpretation throughout the season.
“He’s a fabulous, great actor,“ says Zayas about Lithgow. Zayas adds that Angel is focused on investigating the Trinity Killer’s murders throughout the season, but doesn’t have any scenes with him at first.
“I guess that’s a good thing, because anyone that encounters him doesn’t last long,” he adds, laughing.
The first episode of season four of Dexter airs on Showtime, Sunday September 27. Also watch for David Zayas in the feature films 13 and The Expendables in 2010.
Posted by Adam Wright
on September 25, 2009. Filed under Features, News.
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