The two stars of the prequel discuss their relationships to their counterparts.
Dexter: Original Sin has debuted its first three episodes on Paramount+, with the fourth arriving this Friday. Despite the skepticism leading up to its December 13 release, the Dexter prequel has, three episodes in, been receiving praise from both longtime and new fans for its exceptional casting and its nostalgic quality, reminiscent of the original series.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Alex Shimizu and James Martinez, who play Masuka and Batista respectively, shared their experiences stepping into these beloved roles. Fun fact: both actors are fans of Dexter Daily!
Was Alex Shimizu a Dexter fan before landing the role?
Not initially. Shimizu admitted he wasn’t familiar with Dexter when the role came his way. However, he quickly immersed himself by binging the series in a weekend and watching countless clips of C.S. Lee, both as Masuka and in interviews. This inspired him to reach out to the original Masuka actor.
“I was able to slide into C.S. Lee’s DMs and party with him a little bit, talk with him, and he’s been super supportive and cool,” Shimizu told The Hollywood Reporter. “He’s helped me to have an even deeper understanding of Masuka.”
Shimizu recalled being in Miami when C.S. Lee first responded:
“He was like, ‘Yeah, let’s go party!’ So we went to Intercrew in Koreatown, and he gave me so much great advice on the character, mainly that despite all his antics and bizarre behavior and his wild jokes, he’s coming from a place of wanting to connect with people and make friends. I always knew that Masuka deep down is a good guy. He means well despite everything. He has a slacker quality to him, but he’s very good at his job.”
Shimizu also appreciated Lee’s broader guidance:
“But not only was he very great about letting me know about the character and giving me insight, C.S. also let me know about being an actor in Hollywood, about being an Asian American actor in Hollywood, and just wanting the best for me, which he didn’t have to do. So I was very supportive and grateful for all of his help.”
Check out a video from a recent old/new Masuka reunion below:
The rarity of playing a character like Masuka
“He’s so out there,” Shimizu said. “He’s so bold and crazy and at the same time has such a big heart. He’s like a slacker Asian character, which is very rare to play in Hollywood. I just loved it.”
Could Masuka return in Dexter: Resurrection?
“I’d love to see C.S. back for Resurrection,” Shimizu said. “If they need an eye [of someone] who knew Dexter from way back when he worked at forensics just a few feet away, Masuka is your guy.”
James Martinez on David Zayas
Martinez didn’t need to slide into David Zayas’ DMs—he already knew the actor from their time in New York’s theater community.
“I’ve always been a fan of his stage work. I had a sense of who he was already, and he has a lot of similarities as Batista. So when you talk to him and you get to know him, you really get who Angel is at his core and that, to me, was the most important part.”
Zayas gave Martinez valuable advice on embodying young Batista:
“He said that Angel doesn’t have a cynical bone in his body, which was something I could really hold onto and run with,” Martinez shared. “He just has a really optimistic attitude towards life, work, and love, and he leads with his heart. Looking like him was important; capturing his mannerisms and his physicality. But capturing that was more important—who he was at his core, and meeting him helped me do that.”
The emotional journey ahead in Dexter: Resurrection
Martinez expressed apprehension about what lies ahead for Batista in Resurrection:
“With Resurrection, I can’t imagine the heartbreak that we’re going to see for Angel, the sense of treachery. It brings a tear to my eye because I know David, and I can imagine him playing that revelation of who Dexter is and ‘wow, this guy is not who I thought he was.’ He leads with his heart, so the pain he’s going to feel—I’m gonna watch for sure.”
With its strong performances and attention to character detail, Dexter: Original Sin is shaping up to be a standout addition to the Dexter franchise.