Dexter returns in “Dexter: Resurrection.” The serial killer who can’t be killed has miraculously survived being shot in the chest. However, his son Harrison, who shot him, has disappeared. After waking up, Dexter follows a lead to find his son in New York City, the perfect place for a killer to hide in plain sight.
Harrison is working and living in a hotel, trying to move past his violent actions. Still haunted by his experience with his father and presumed patricide, Harrison attempts to be a good person. Because of this, Harrison kills a violent predator, played by Bryan Lillis, entombing himself in a new nightmare of traumas. At the same time Dexter attempts to protect him from afar while also stalking a new threat in his new home.
In an exclusive interview with Temple of Geek, Bryan Lillis discussed joining the world of “Dexter.” He also shared his feelings on joining the ranks of vaunting victims. Lillis also revealed why he believes Dexter has the longevity as not only a character but also a franchise.
Bryan Lillis Breaks Down His Dexter: Resurrection Character
Temple of Geek: Can you tell me a little bit about your character and how you wanted to approach playing a character that has kind of a darker depth to him than we initially anticipate?
Bryan Lillis:
“So, for roles like this, it’s tough. Gosh, I feel like, I don’t know where you find inspiration. You don’t want to glorify anything that this guy does. Because it’s so gross. I try to think of some of the darkest things, just choices that people would make negatively in life and how that would lead them down that path and try to show that to the world. Just try to show that darkness. I come across some icky people in my life. I think I pulled little pieces from each one of them and it was just. I feel like I need to take a shower after playing him.”
Temple of Geek: Can you talk a little bit about your character’s relationship with Harrison and how we see that play out throughout the first episode?
Bryan Lillis:
“He’s a guest at the hotel. He’s obviously a power player. He pulls up and he’s got his McLaren out front, and he’s obviously somebody who buys his way through life. He’s got the fancy watch and ring and jewelry, and I feel like he’s somebody that just pays off everything as he goes along. We kind of see that when Dexter brings it up that I’ve gotten off numerous sexual assault charges in the past. So yeah, when Harrison comes in trying to be the good guy, in my mind I’m just like, he’s a peasant by him off and push him away. And then we get into our altercation and my demise.”
Temple of Geek: What was the process of filming the stunt work with that? because it’s such an intense fight that we see.
Bryan Lillis:
“Yeah, it was really fun. I got to come down to New York back in December. About a month before we filmed, I got to come down and work with the stunt coordinators and Jack [Alcott], we got thrown right into it. The choreography and stunt training, which was really, really fun. So, we rehearsed this whole dance, I guess, if you wil. Had everything marked so nobody would get hurt. It did get really, really intense. So yeah, so then on the day of, it was literally, it was just memorizing a dance number and we walked right through it and it was so fun to film.”
Bryan Lillis Shares How It Felt To Watch Himself Be Killed With A Crowd
Temple of Geek: When you’re developing a character like this where we don’t really get to fully explore them, are there pieces of his backstory that you kind of come up with in your head to help flesh out who they are for you when you’re going to embody them?
Bryan Lillis:
“Yeah, I talked to Marcos [Siega] about this too, and Clyde [Phillips] and Scott [Reynolds]. I think that this guy is just pretentious and I think in his mind he was just untouchable. Nobody’s ever told him no in his life, so we just kind of went in there with that aspect. Even at the screening we did when my character met his demise, there was a very, very loud cheer in the audience. Which is like they watched somebody get killed. Everybody was cheering for him to go.”
Temple of Geek: How did that feel, hearing everyone cheer that your character got killed?
Bryan Lillis:
“I’m super excited. I’m a huge fan of the show, so I was just geeking out to be in the room with the cast that’s in the show. I’m just happy to be a part of it, really, really honored to be a part of it.”
Temple of Geek: One of the things about “Dexter” is we have the bodies get dismembered in front of us. What was it like seeing yourself have that happen?
Bryan Lillis:
“Surreal. I came down to New York a month before and got to work with Dave Presto. Incredible, incredible prosthetics and special effects makeup artists. Yes, we literally did an entire body mold. They did dentures. It was a multi-day process, but I think I had to stand there for six hours and couldn’t move. So they created, I mean a full body. I mean with height and weight made the skin, and when they pulled it next to me, I have a picture holding my severed head and it’s frightening. It’s so insane how lifelike they made. It was frightening.”
Temple of Geek: I feel like that would give me nightmares if I saw myself like that.
Bryan Lillis:
“Oh gosh, yeah. I sent a picture when we were filming. I was holding the head and kind of [opening and closing] the mouth and sent it to my wife. I saw Marcos last night, the director, and he goes, ‘I actually have your head at home. We’ve kept the heads of all the people that have been killed on the show as memorabilia from the set.’ I’m like, oh my gosh. So crazy.”
Bryan Lillis On Continuing The “Dexter” Legacy Of Haunting The Narrative
Temple of Geek: It seems like we have not seen the last of your character. It seems like you’ll still be haunting the rest of the season. Can you talk to me and kind of tease a little bit of what we’ll be seeing with that? Especially because he is someone that we’ve seen Harrison kill.
Bryan Lillis:
“Yeah, you saw him kind of coming in that little jump scare. So obviously Harrison is really struggling to find out what his path is. I feel like even with “New Blood,” he watches horrific crime with Dexter and Dexter did the whole ritual with him, and it ended with, of course, Harrison shooting him. We thought, I think, Harrison wasn’t going to go down that path, and he kind of did.
In “Original Sin” there was a flash where Dexter has a fight and he needs his father to help rein him in and help control his emotions. I think Harrison sort of is paralleling that storyline. Where Dexter, we need to figure out how they’re going to cross and Dexter’s going to help him rein in those emotions. It’ll be really interesting to see where his path goes.”
Temple of Geek: One of the things I love about the show “Dexter” is how we kind of see characters like Dexter and Harrison’s conscience is embodied by these ghosts and we have them have to grapple with not just like an internal struggle, but this external struggle as they really see the damage that they’ve done. Can you talk about becoming part of that legacy?
Bryan Lillis:
“Like I said, being a fan of the show? So excited. So, I was hoping to get on the table and I got on in a very unique way. I was super honored just as a fan of the show to be the first kill of the new show was so fun and so cool. I’m excited. Obviously, we’ve seen Dexter haunted by James Remar, Harry’s character, and then Deb and then his brother Brian throughout the series. So, I’m really excited to be a part of Harrison’s storyline and be his subconscious and haunt.”
Temple of Geek: What for you sets Dexter and Harrison apart as killers? Because we see Dexter really struggle with this code that he’s been given since he was a child, whereas with Harrison, like you said, we thought he wasn’t necessarily going to go down this path and then we just see that change in a split second.
Bryan Lillis:
“Yeah, I think that the biggest thing is that Harrison didn’t have a Harry to rein him in. I mean, Dexter had Harry to give him the code and to teach him. As we saw an “Original Sin” to train him and because Dexter has been absent from most of Harrison’s life since he was a baby and they just got reunited, he hasn’t had that chance to father him yet and to rein him in. So I’ll be curious to see this season, how they end up, if they end up interacting and how their relationship kind of evolves the season.”
“What Better Place For A Serial Killer To Hide For A Playground?”
Temple of Geek: As a longtime fan of “Dexter” and the franchise that has been built out from it, why do you think New York is a fun place to bring this sort of story?
Bryan Lillis:
“What better place for a serial killer to hide for a playground? I think that any city with so much action and it’s almost like this big concrete dark jungle. I feel like there’s so many places to hide. It’s going to be as Michael C. Hall calls, it’s going to be delicious playground that they get to play in and the serial killers that are going to come about in New York City this year. It’s going to be some dark, twisted, twisted roles coming. So I’m so excited to see what comes out the rest of the season.”
Temple of Geek: Why do you think “Dexter” has had such a longevity with fans and in pop culture as a show that follows a serial killer?
Bryan Lillis:
“Yeah, it’s crazy because it’s one of those things that we can’t believe that we’re cheering for a serial killer. I think that audiences love watching justice, I think they love this vigilante. I just think Michael’s done since the beginning such an amazing job to really captivate people and still show his kind of human side and his struggles as well that he goes through. Somehow even as a serial killer Dexter manages to be relatable and likable and funny and have us cheer for him. So I accredit that to Michael C. Hall. He’s just, I think brilliant.”
Temple of Geek: What was your favorite part about getting to come into this franchise that you are so passionate about?
Bryan Lillis:
“I’ve seen the show I think seven times through, the main show. It’s in my top shows of all time. So just being able to be any part of the storyline in any way, shape and form is bucket list for me. So even walking on the set day one and meeting Michael and Jack and Clyde and Marcos was like, I mean, I feel like I’m like, this is everything for me. So, I just couldn’t be more excited.”
Bryan Lillis Praises The Stacked Cast Of Dexter: Resurrection
Temple of Geek: This is such a stacked cast this season. Was there a moment that you had to pinch yourself by getting to work with all these people and seeing all these people work on the show?
Bryan Lillis:
“100%. Like I said, that first day seeing Michael and Jack. I think I was there maybe a week in, and as you saw, I had the face prosthetics done where I had that jump scare with Harrison in that first episode and they were filming the John Lithgow scene, which is the opening scene of the pilot.
And I turn and I got to meet John Lithgow and I was like, what is this life? This so crazy! I’m such a huge fan of his, I mean obviously his insane career, but I think he’s one of the greatest villains in TV history from season four. So honored to be able to share the screen with some of these actors.”
Temple of Geek: I always love moments in TV shows and movies when there’s a character that only one character interacts with and having to see everyone else continue on like normal. What is that when you’re filming it? Because it just to me seems like it would be so trippy to have everyone else doing normal things just around you as you’re doing something else.
Bryan Lillis:
“Yeah, it was very interesting how they filmed it. So he almost filmed it in sections and edit in one of the scenes with the jump scare like Harrison’s watching. So I was kind of taken in and taken out. It was interesting because I was almost standing there like this invisible ghost that people sort of had to walk around and it didn’t feel weird for me.
But it had to have been weird for Kadia [Saraf] and Dominic [Fumusa] walking through the crime scene pretending my disfigured face with blood pouring off is not standing there and they’re just carrying on their business as normal. As Harrison’s freaking out watching me. So yeah, I think for me it was fun for them it was probably a little weird having to do the scene.”
Temple of Geek: Getting to play a character’s conscience after having played such a despicable character. Do you approach it differently or is it something where you’re like, I’m still this despicable character, I just have tilted a little bit more one way or the other?
Bryan Lillis:
“Yeah, we’ll see what they end up doing with the writing. I don’t want to give away anything yet. So far for what we’ve seen, I’m definitely there to haunt him and push him. I’m definitely his guilt weighing on him. So, the version of me he’s seeing, I think, is the heavy conscious he’s battling with of what he did. So, it’s definitely playing into the guilt factor for sure.”
Dexter Continues To Be Fans’ Favorite Serial Killer
Temple of Geek: I love how “Dexter” really kind of makes us take a more cerebral look at this idea of morality because it is this thing of he is killing bad people and we’ve seen him really struggle with that and especially the collateral damage of good people that have died because of it. Why do you think that’s something that has had such a longevity and has had such an impact on people? Because Dexter weirdly is one of the more beloved protagonists in a TV show.
Bryan Lillis:
“Yeah, again, I have to go back and I feel like it’s a question that’s brought up, how can America like a serial killer and root for him? I think it’s just been really creative writing. I think Clyde Phillips and Scott Reynolds and Marcos and their whole writers’ team have done such an insane job of really walking the fine line of pushing it too much, but still making him somehow relatable and likable.
Again, I just have to bow to Michael that he’s been able to carry the weight of this franchise and still stay so beloved. I think I credit so much to Michael C. Hall that he’s been able to play all these emotions of the character, walk that fine line and not make us hate him. I credit that to his talent.”
Temple of Geek: What are you most looking forward to for longtime “Dexter” fans seeing in this show?
Bryan Lillis:
“I can’t wait to see the cast of serial killers that they have coming out. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a guest cast quite like this in TV history. I’m a huge Tarantino fan. So seeing Uma Thurman come on set was like Uma Thurman is going to be on Dexter?! And then Peter, I’m like, Game of Thrones is one of my top shows ever. And then seeing Peter Dinklage come on, it’s just, oh my gosh, I cannot wait to see Eric Stonestreet, Krysten Ritter, and Neil Patrick Harris. I can’t wait to see their killer roles and see what they do. So, so pumped for it.”
The first two episodes of “Dexter: Resurrection” are available on Paramount Plus now, with new episodes every Friday.
