As horrific as that sounds, though, Hatosy managed to make Fowler likable during his recent stay in Miami. In January, Hatosy returns to the other side of the law (and the continent) on Southland as Detective Sammy Bryant, a stoner-turned-narcotics-badge, on TNT.
Earlier this week, Hatosy phoned Movieline to discuss his thrilling arc on Dexter, explain why being strapped down to a table underneath Michael C. Hall may have been the high point of his career and talk about his real-life gang run-in while filming Southland.
Boyd Fowler is such a phenomenally complex character. How much of a character history were you given by Dexter's writers?
Let's see here...nothing. I got a call from my agent basically saying that the producers wanted to talk to me about a part, which was thrilling. So they put me on the phone with Chip Johannessen and he kind of explained what Boyd was and that it would be a bit of a cat and mouse thing going on between he and Dexter.
So without much of a character history, how did you figure out who Boyd was?
You know, there was something almost innocent and pathetic about the way Boyd was written. Even looking at his and Dexter's relationship -- just seeing how excited Boyd was to have Dexter join him on the daily grind of picking up dead animals. Boyd needed companionship. And the fact that Dexter was also interested in dead things endeared him to Boyd. I just think there was an angle there. Boyd doesn't know he's a bad guy and he thinks what he is doing is right. So I just tried to make him as human as possible, if that makes sense.
You've been playing cops and detectives a lot recently. How easy was it to tap into this criminal frame of mind?
The opportunity to play a serial killer and a sociopath was very exciting considering my last, I think, three or four roles were law enforcement. But having said that, I have played killers on death row and the one thing that I always enjoy about the darker roles is that you are given more flexibility creatively. When you play Sammy Bryant on Southland, you're wearing a suit to work every day and the only question you have is what color tie you'll have on. But with a guy like Boyd, it's fun all around. Even the decision to wear shorts and a shirt that buttons up and the hat and the mustache. The character builds itself and you learn slowly that the more risks you take, the better off you are. Which isn't to say that I don't enjoy Southland. It's just a different taste.
When you are given that taste of freedom with a role like Boyd Fowler, does that reinvigorate you as an actor? Are you anxious to test those boundaries again immediately?
At least from my point of view, the goal is to challenge yourself and variety for me is the key to to success. The biggest compliment I can get from people, whether it be on the message boards or blogs, is that when they saw Boyd, it took them an episode or two to realize that that was me.
It was pretty intense. I remember looking at Michael at one point as I was strapped to the table and [fake] blood was gushing out of my face and saying, "This is an interesting type of career." But that is Dexter's world and the writers and Michael C. Hall have done such a fantastic job creating that character. That show is just 100 percent character and that's the kind of storytelling that I enjoy as an audience member. Honestly, to be strapped down to that table and to share that time creatively was something that could definitely push its way to the top of the list of things that I have accomplished in my career.
Are you ever motivated to write something yourself or do you feel like your collaboration in the storytelling process is limited to portraying these characters?
I am very interested in writing and I do write. I think creatively involving yourself in many aspects of the filmmaking process and understanding it as best as you can only makes your performances better. And vice versa. I think that the directors who take acting classes, even if they didn't want to act but just wanted to understand the process, are better directors. While I do write and hopefully I will have success there -- at least the writing process helps me understand how to portray these characters to the best of my ability.
What are you writing now?
I have a personal film that I have been working on for a number of years. It's a process but it's something I care a lot about. I have been working with people. I've had producers help me and things like that over the years. It's finally gotten to the point where I am very proud of the script and I can't wait to make it. You hear stories about people who have had great scripts and they say "Oh my god, it took me ten years to make." I understand that a little bit better now.
Would you be starring in the film as well?
There is definitely a character I could play but I am not quite sure. The opportunity to direct in it or star in it, whatever. Even if I was just the executive producer, I don't care. I just want to get it made.
If you were not acting or writing, what kind of career do you think you would have?
I would probably teach. Theater though. Not that I have a degree or anything. I would have to go through the process.
Yes because we are in our element now. One thing that I think is hard for people to understand -- just because the whole experience was such a debacle -- is that these season three episodes that we are shooting now will be the first episodes that TNT has had a hand in making. The thirteen episodes that already aired on TNT were still NBC's episodes and NBC's influence was being felt in each one. I am still proud of those episodes but I think that these ten that we are getting ready to shoot are going to really show Southland as it was always meant to be.
So how is Southland's season three going to be different from the first two seasons?
It's going to be a more aggressive show now. I was really excited to read the first three episodes. We're not afraid to take the show further. At NBC, there was a barrier even though we were on at 10 o'clock. We couldn't tell all of the stories we wanted to tell. From what I've looked at so far, this season is still going to be an action-packed show told from the streets with car chases. But now we're going to explore Los Angeles and see how dark we can get and how real these new episodes can feel.
What is the scariest place in Los Angeles where you have filmed so far?
There was one episode in the first season where we were in South Central -- I forget where exactly. We tend to move around a lot while filming so we will be at one house for an hour and then we will be done with that scene and we will move to another house. So on this particular night, at like 11 o'clock, we finished working at the first house and moved to the next house...only there were about a hundred gang members standing in front of it.
That'll add some authenticity to the show.
Yeah, so we couldn't shoot there. We had to completely change the scene around. But overall the community has been very helpful.
Well, not the gang community.
No, but everyone else has been great.