Stiles takes 'leap of faith' with 'Dexter'

He's now a widower and single parent, but Dexter Morgan won't be alone much longer. Under normal circumstances, that probably would be a good thing ... but when you're also a secret serial killer, someone new entering your life only can complicate matters.

In a rare television role, Julia Stiles plays that someone new by joining Showtime's hit drama “Dexter as its recently started fifth season continues. Her character, the unusually named Lumen, literally landed in the arms of Miami police forensics investigator Dexter (Michael C. Hall, also a producer of the series) on Sunday in the episode's closing moment.

Guilt-ridden over indirectly having caused the murder of his wife, Rita, through his pursuit of the Trinity Killer (Emmy winner John Lithgow) last season, Dexter is seeking absolution, and it's likely that Lumen can help. Known for such big-screen projects as “The Bourne Identity and “Save the Last Dance, Stiles became a “Dexter fan shortly before she got the part, and she admits her history with the show was a bit backward.

“I saw season four on Showtime on Demand right after it aired, she says, “and I got hooked. Then I went back and watched seasons one, two and three consecutively after that. It was a little out of order, but season four was what got me.

Stiles recalls that while she was becoming immersed in “Dexter initially, “I had heard they were writing a part for a young woman, but they hadn't offered it to me. I had heard from so many people that the show was great, I just finally got around to watching it. (Getting the offer) was really exciting, but also terrifying for a number of reasons.

“One was that I knew John Lithgow's shoes are big ones to fill, but the producers assured me that they were going in a different direction, and they weren't going to try to repeat or top what had been done. Also, they're very secretive about the content of the show, so I couldn't really read a script. They had to explain the character to me and what she would go through during the season, so it was all very conceptual.

Thus, Stiles confirms, “It was a little bit of a leap of faith, but because I know that the show is really good and that Michael is a terrific actor and that most of my scenes would be with him I was ready to take that leap.

Other new “Dexter cast additions include Peter Weller as a police veteran curious about Dexter, and Shawn Hatosy and Jonny Lee Miller as the targets of Dexter's latest quests to eliminate evil in his own way. Also joining the show is Maria Doyle Kennedy as the nanny hired to care for Dexter's infant son.

As for Lumen, Stiles agrees that now is “an interesting place for a female to enter (Dexter's) life. I told Michael and the other producers that I thought they were so bold to start this season where they did and confront all the things Dexter has to deal with, rather than gloss over them. A new woman entering the picture is obviously going to cause problems for Dexter, which is what makes their relationship interesting. Some people are questioning whether Lumen is a replacement for Rita, but it's much more complicated than that.

Stiles calls Hall “very inspiring and not only for his fight against Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is now in remission.

“He works extremely hard and doesn't make a peep about it, she says. “He's diligent about thinking about everything in every scene, and it makes me try harder. There's a precision to his work, and it inspires me to be that thoughtful.

As evidenced by Lithgow and other actors who have had temporary stays on “Dexter, such as Jimmy Smits and Keith Carradine, the series services its extended guest stars well.

“Once they put a face and a personality to the character, they write for the actor, Stiles notes. “They write to your strengths, and it's really nice when that comes together, so I'm happy to jump on this bandwagon.

“The show is already established, and I respect and like what they do, so I don't really have to go to the writers and change anything. A lot of times, you make a movie, and it comes out differently than what you would have expected, or the marketing campaign isn't what you would have hoped for. With this, I feel that all I have to do is show up and do a good job, and everything else will be taken care of. That's a wonderful opportunity.