Acting Naturally

With a key character making a dramatic exit at the end of Dexter’s fourth season, it’s no surprise that there’s potential for another female lead to join the cast. Just the other day, EW’s Michael Ausiello reported that Julie Benz signed on to reprise her role as Dexter’s late wife, Rita, in the new season. How she’ll reappear we don’t know, but it’s certainly exciting to hear she’ll return in any capacity.

The details are sparse for the new addition as well. All we know is that Julia Stiles “is in advanced talks to play a major, top secret role.” Rita’s sister? Maybe. A new love interest for Dexter? Maybe. The one possibility you can rule out is Stiles going John Lithgow on us and delivering a Trinity Killer-like character. Chip Johanneseen, the new showrunner, explained, “We’re not going to have a single Big Bad this season.” He added, “We don’t want to try and top John Lithgow, so we’re going to change up the forces that Dexter’s going to be dealing with.”

As someone who’s not really into the whole Bourne thing, it feels as thought Stiles has been off the radar for a quite a while. Minus that series, the last thing I can remember seeing her in is The Omen and well, that one I could have done without. With little coming her way on the big screen, joining the cast of a critically acclaimed and beloved show like Dexter could really be a smart move. However, the pressure will really be on. This is clearly going to be a pivotal year for Dexter. Season four rapped up in a big way and fans will expect season five to kick off strong.