How to Get Cast on ‘Dexter: Original Sin’

“Dexter: Original Sin” is an origin story of the serial killer Dexter Morgan (first played by Michael C. Hall, who returns as a narrator for the prequel). Set in 1991, the Miami-based drama will showcase how a young Dexter (Patrick Gibson) is a forensic science student by day and a killer at night. The future blood splatter expert reconciles his desire to kill by channeling the urge into a vigilante effort to extract justice.

Throughout the series, Dexter confides in his adoptive dad, Harry, who helps him establish a way to locate and execute those who deserve to die without getting caught. It’s an exceptionally risky situation, since Dexter happens to be working with the authorities, thanks to his new internship at the Miami Metro Police Department. While fans of “Dexter” witnessed the character’s life as an adult, the prequel will reveal the backstory of what drove Dexter to these deadly pursuits in the first place

Clyde Phillips returns as the original showrunner and executive producer for the prequel series, with Robert Lloyd Lewis and Hall also as executive producers. Michael Lehmann (“Heathers”) is directing, as well as executive producing with Lilly Burns, Tony Hernandez, Scott Reynolds, Mary Leah Sutton.

Season 1 of “Dexter: Original Sin” stars:

• Patrick Gibson as Dexter Morgan
• Christian Slater as Harry Morgan
• Molly Brown as Debra Morgan
• Michael C. Hall as the narrator
• Christina Milian as Detective Maria LaGuerta
• Sarah Michelle Gellar as Tanya Martin
• Patrick Dempsey as Captain Aaron Spencer
• Reno Wilson as Detective Bobby Watt
• James Martinez as Detective Angel Batista
• Alex Shimizu as Vince Masuka
• Victoria Martzloff as Tiffany
• Eli Sherman as Little Dexter
• London Thatcher as Nicky Spencer
• Chandler Lovelle as Daniela
• Randy Gonzalez as Santos Jimenez

John Papsidera (“Yellowstone,” “Oppenheimer”) serves as the primary CD on the “Dexter” prequel series.

Having begun as an actor himself, Papsidera understands what’s going on from both sides of the table. “I love actors,” Papsidera told Casting Networks. “It’s part of my job to create space where actors can share a bit of their soul because that’s what the job is to me. I go to the nth degree… I tell my staff constantly that we’re here to create an acceptable, warm, safe place for actors and directors to create in. I give a lot of detail to my spaces. I’m an art collector, and that’s always part of my spaces. I make them look nice, so no one sits in a fluorescently lit room or dingy little hall office.”

Papsidera reads with his actors 90% of the time, and he notes that he doesn’t have a lot of rules. “That drives me insane,” he says. “I sometimes hear of other casting directors having a list of do’s and don’ts. Artists are not like that. They’re not machines. It’s not a multiple-choice question. It’s artistry. I create a space that welcomes and encourages that in actors.”

Papsidera prefers to give actors the freedom to make their own choices.

“[A]s long as it’s not absolutely against what I’m looking for in a character or behavior that’s out of the realm of being socially accepted, I’m interested in what people do,” he told Daily Actor. “I’m interested in, ‘Will they change the camera angle? Do they know how close to be to the camera? How far away?’ Certainly, there are things where you can’t hear somebody, that’s not going to work. But for the most part, I don’t have a lot of rules about that. Even in formal tapes, sometimes you go, ‘Oh my god, that person’s really got something. They have a spark, there’s something there.’ So, it doesn’t really matter to me as much of the form as it is content.”

Papsidera said there’ve been plenty of extreme instances in auditions where actors are “grabbing my crotch or spitting in my face or kissing me” to make an impression, but that’s not what stays with him. “[W]hat stays with me really is when I feel like I’m in the presence of an artist,” he added. “And those are the moments where, if I even think about them, I still get chills, that you just realize, ‘Oh, this person’s really special. There’s something really that I can’t touch, I can’t talk about it, I can’t equate, but I feel it.’ And those are the things that when I sit in rooms, when somebody does something unexpected, says a line differently than how 80 other people that read that line read it, thinks about a moment in a different way. Those are the things that you sit there and go, ‘Holy s**t, that’s amazing.’ And those are the kind of moments that I love and keep me coming back for more.”

Ultimately, it all comes down to confidence. “If I can give anything to every actor that walked in a room, it would be confidence, because that is something that stands out, is unique, and is attractive to other people,” Papsidera told Backstage.

“Yes, you have to have so many pieces: luck, timing, talent, and you have to have a certain energy…but confidence is such a common denominator of people that succeed in the business and I think other people want a piece of it,” he says. “At times, I think if actors read more about psychology and their soul it might be a better learning curve than just doing technique or audition classes. Knowing oneself is really what cameras, film, and TV pick up on. I believe something magical happens between a camera and a performer in that exchange, and that is what people want to watch.”

While there’s no news on whether “Original Sin” will extend beyond its initial 10-episode run, fans shouldn’t be too disappointed. Hall is returning as the titular character in another spinoff, “Dexter: Resurrection,” which will take place after the events of the 2021 limited series reboot, “Dexter: New Blood.”

Although Phillips once told Deadline (spoiler alert!) that Dexter Morgan was officially dead amid the reboot’s shocking finale, it turns out there’s more to his story after all. According to TV Insider, “Resurrection” will begin filming in January 2025, with an expected premiere date in the summer, and ComicBook.com shared that Peter Dinklage and Gillian Anderson are in talks to join the series.

“Original Sin” isn’t currently casting, and there aren’t any public calls available for “Resurrection” at the moment. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other similar series casting now. We recommend bookmarking our main casting page for updates on the latest calls or this one that’s specific to horror for more opportunities. Also check out Backstage guides on how to audition for Paramount+ and Showtime for more advice.

Enjoy the process: Christian Slater has been acting for decades, so it’s no shock that he wants up-and-comers to absorb every moment as it comes instead of worrying about their fate. “Take your time,” Slater told Backstage. “Don’t try to rush the whole process; just take it slow. Enjoy it as much as possible. Have faith that everything works out the way it’s supposed to. Try not to give in to that panicked feeling of, ‘Oh, I need to work, I need to work, I need to work.’ I think it is good to go to a class and work with other actors, work on scenes, and keep your instrument alive. Just keep focusing on that, and the rest kind of takes care of itself. Work hard, stay in shape, and be prepared for that moment that is waiting for you to be discovered.”

Put your goals down on paper: Everyone dreams about what they hope to accomplish, but in 2023, Christina Milian advised her Instagram followers to write down all they want to focus on and achieve in the coming year. “Key advice: Don’t wait for opportunities, create them,” she wrote. “I have decided one of the key things I need to work on is simply writing down my thoughts and ideas on paper will be far more important in order for me to strategize and review my plans.” After all, if you can visualize your goals by committing them to paper, you may be more likely to hold yourself accountable and take chances to make those dreams your reality.

Try every job in your profession: As Sarah Michelle Gellar told Paula Wallace, there’s more to acting than simply reading back what’s in the script. “As an actor, our job is not just to stand on a mark and learn your lines,” she said. “I worked with an actor years ago and it was very frustrating to me. He would constantly miss his mark and he would shadow me all the time and I said to him, ‘You know, our job is not just to show up and say our lines.’ He said, ‘Yes, it is,’ and I said, ‘No…. We are all a team here.’ And I made sure that when I was on ‘Buffy,’ I tried every job on set. There is not a job on set that I haven’t done…. I highly recommend trying every job in your chosen profession.”

Allow yourself to shine: While Papsidera wants actors to be prepared when they arrive at his audition room, he also wants who they truly are to come through in the choices they make. “A lot of it has to do with being a real human being and allowing themselves to be seen, not just physically but actually who they are,” he told Backstage. “Being prepared certainly is part of it, and having an idea of what they want to do, making interesting choices—all of those things lend themselves to the overall experience of it. When you get to be in the company of an artist, those are the things and the moments I remember as a CD. I want everybody to rise to that level, because that’s what makes me remember them.”