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Why Michael C. Hall was never the same after Dexter

For as long as there's been television, there have been viewers obsessed with murderers and antiheroes. And perhaps no character better encapsulates the quintessential hero who's hard to love better than Dexter Morgan.

A member of the Miami Metro Police Department by day, a code-obsessed and highly efficient serial killer by night, Dexter provided TV audiences with something they hadn't seen before. Sure, there had been villains on TV, even lovable ones, but Dexter broke the mold by refusing to fit into any traditional archetypes. To achieve this, the role required a world-class actor.

When the show premiered in 2006, actor Michael C. Hall was somewhat fresh off a role on another genre-defining series, Six Feet Under. All the same, he agreed to take viewers on a visceral romp through the mind of a man who needs to kill. Armed with a brutally honest inner monologue and a set of skills that no rational human being should spend their time harnessing, Dexter required the actor to not only go to that dark place himself but also come back from it, which is harder than it sounds.

Although the show took its final bow in 2013 after eight seasons, the effects of playing Dexter Morgan remain with Hall in a myriad of ways. To give fans some insight into what it takes to craft a role as complex as a serial killer, below is a rundown of how Michael C. Hall was never the same after playing Dexter.