Patrick Gibson has revealed that he felt intense pressure to not ‘screw up’ after landing one of the most iconic roles on TV.
Michael C Hall gave viewers chills when he portrayed Dexter Morgan in the original Dexter series, which ran between 2006 and 2013 – before returning in the sequel series, Dexter: New Blood, in 2021.
In prequel series Dexter: Original Sin, which is currently airing on Paramount+, Patrick took the character back to his roots alongside a star-studded cast, including Christian Slater, Patrick Dempsey, Christina Millian and Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Speaking to Metro ahead of the season one finale on Friday, the 29-year-old opened up about stepping into the well-trodden shoes of the notorious serial killer, and wanting to do everyone involved justice.
Discussing the ‘pressure’ that he found himself under, he told us: ‘I felt that pressure when I saw the audition – not that I felt the pressure, because I didn’t have the role – but I was like, “This seems like something you really can’t screw up.”
‘I was aware of how much people love that character, and also how unique of a character he is. It’s not like you’re doing another iteration of it, you really are playing the same guy. That was definitely daunting.
‘Having Clyde Phillips, the original showrunner, involved, and all of the OG guys were there, that really helped – just to know that I was in good hands, and that their judgment was what was steering the ship.
‘We did have a lot of conversations, throughout the auditions, of how we were going to do this. By the time we got to set, it wasn’t like I was thrown in the deep end, we had three weeks before we started shooting. It felt like now is the time to just dive in and go for it.
‘Had I thought about the audience, I probably would have been absolutely terrified.’
The Original Sin prequel series first hit our screens in December, 2024, and jetted viewers back to Dexter’s early years as he began his career at the Miami Metro Police Department in 1991.
Patrick clearly had nothing to worry about as the show currently boasts a whopping 75% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with many heaping praise on the lead star’s efforts and what he brings to the universe.
In particular, they have applauded his casting, as well as his similarities to Michael’s portrayal of the older character.
Unpacking how he was able to master the Golden Globe-winner’s mannerisms and voice so expertly, he continued: ‘It was an odd thing. Part of it was [that] I didn’t want to set myself up for the challenge of being like, “I’m going to do 100% Michael C Hall.”
‘What was so endearing about his [portrayal] was that his manner is quite similar to that in real life. He brought a lot of himself to it.
‘He also brings a certain affectation that is his Dexter, but there’s elements of him in there. I’ve got to leave some room for that as well, to also have a similar feel to the original.
‘I just watched the show loads. In the three weeks leading up to it, I worked with a dialect coach, and I just listened to him all the time. I let myself be little rough around the edges at the beginning, because he’s not created the persona that he’s created by the original.
‘It was fun to see where that hadn’t been as refined. It was really just absorbing it, and then letting it go on set, just diving in.’
The 10-part series is set to conclude on Valentine’s Day – when asked what to expect from the finale, he joked: ‘A lot of romance. It’s perfect to sit down after your date night, just a happy, you know…
‘What can I tease that won’t give it away? It is different, I think, to any finale episode that we’ve seen before, honestly. Definitely, at least in the OG show – those first few seasons.
‘It goes to places that feel very climactic. For a first season, it really pumps things up in a way that is really exciting. We’ll start to see Dexter come into a maturity that we haven’t seen throughout the show.’
Dexter: Original Sin is available to stream on Paramount+.
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