In honor of the 16th anniversary of Season 3, let's revisit an incident that occurred on set.
Today marks the 16th anniversary of the premiere of Dexter Season 3. To commemorate the occasion, let's look back at a memorable incident from that time, involving the season’s special guest star, Jimmy Smits.
Actor and stuntman Jeff Chase narrowly escaped serious injury when Smits accidentally grabbed a real knife instead of a prop during the filming of a kill scene for episode 308, titled "The Damage a Man Can Do." While portraying his character, Smits unintentionally stabbed Chase, but luckily, Chase was protected by a clear acrylic shield over his heart. Smits struck the very edge of the plastic, leaving Chase unharmed.
For those who may not recall, Chase played Billy Fleeter, a former football player who turned to gambling and began killing other gamblers to pay off his debts. This marked the first kill that Miguel Prado, played by Smits, committed alongside Dexter, setting off a chain of events that would eventually destroy their friendship.
Chase described the tense moment: "For the scene, I was wrapped in plastic wrap with duct tape over my mouth. I couldn’t say anything as I saw Jimmy reach for the knife. He inadvertently picked up the real one. It was a pretty menacing-looking knife."
He also mentioned that Michael C. Hall shouted for Jimmy to stop, but it was too late. Instead of a metal breastplate, Chase was wearing a piece of clear acrylic plastic, about the size of a Post-it note, over his heart. It was only a quarter-inch thick and not secured. In most takes, Smits had missed the plastic entirely, but by sheer luck—or perhaps a miracle—the real knife landed just at the edge of the acrylic.
Jimmy Smits was extremely apologetic afterward, but Chase reassured him, saying, "I felt more sorry for him than for myself."