David Zayas Reveals Why His First Dexter Audition “Didn’t Feel Good” — and Recalls Meeting Michael C. Hall

The actor reflected on a moment 20 years ago during his interview with Ilana Levine.

It’s wild to think it’s been 20 years since the audition process for Dexter began. As fans mark the 19th anniversary of the show’s debut on Showtime, David Zayas — who plays Angel Batista — recently reflected on his return to the role in Dexter: Resurrection and walked listeners through memories from his original audition, meeting the cast, and how Batista’s story evolved.

Zayas shared these memories during a long, wide-ranging conversation on Ilana Levine’s podcast Little Known Things with Ilana Levine (fun fact: Levine is married to Dominic Fumusa, who played Detective Melvin Oliva on Dexter). The interview mixes behind-the-scenes anecdotes, honest reactions to the writers’ choices, and the moments that shaped Zayas’ time on the show.

(Editor’s note: Some parts of the interview have been edited for clarity and readability.)

On returning as Angel Batista for Dexter: Resurrection — and the writers’ choice for his arc

“They called and asked if I wanted to be part of it, and I said yes. They told me the whole storyline. When I read the scripts I realized Batista wasn’t going to survive this season. At first I thought, ‘Oh no — I don’t want that.’ But as I read more, I understood it was the right choice. I mean, how many more years could Batista be chasing Dexter? It just wouldn’t make sense. They ended the story the right way, in my opinion.”

What happened to Batista between the original Dexter finale and New Blood

“So after season eight, Batista spent the next—what, about 12 years—thinking Dexter was dead. His career flourished; he became a captain during those years. But he couldn’t completely let go. Everything changed when Chief Bishop called him in Dexter: New Blood and sent a picture of her with Dexter — which suggested Dexter might still be alive. Suddenly Batista started connecting the dots. She told him he was the Bay Harbor Butcher, and that lit a light bulb in his head. I pulled out the records and started matching killings. I was going to confront him and find out the truth. As you know, at the end of New Blood, Batista is shot and killed — supposedly — and they never even showed my arrival. Resurrection picks up just weeks (or about 10 weeks) after that.”

A different Batista in Resurrection

“Now Batista is very different. He’s not as carefree or trusting as he was at the beginning of the series. He’s skeptical, angry, and carrying a lot of guilt — guilty that he didn’t figure it out sooner. It was all under his nose the whole time, and that weighs on him.”

How Zayas auditioned for Dexter back in 2005 — and why the first audition “didn’t feel good”

“I was shooting a film in Toronto when my manager kept calling me: ‘What are you doing this weekend?’ I said I had tickets to the Blue Jays–Yankees game and was busy. He kept pushing and eventually convinced me to fly to New York to audition. Honestly, I didn’t feel good about the audition — I didn’t have time to prepare, I was flying in and out, and I wasn’t grounded. But somehow it went better than I thought because they called me back to test. I flew to L.A., did a test, and I was lucky enough to get the part.”

The audition process and testing

“I auditioned first in New York. Then when I flew to L.A. to test, they gave me a work session with the director — a bit of rehearsal — and the next day I went in and tested for the role. That’s when everything really started to come together.”

Meeting Michael C. Hall for the first time

“I’d run into Michael at HBO events, when I was on Oz and he was on Six Feet Under — so we’d casually chat. When I went to L.A. to test, the elevator opened and Michael walked in. There were other guys there testing for Batista, and I blurted out, ‘I’m going to play Angel Batista’ — not even having the part yet. Right after I said it I thought, ‘What did I just say?’ People looked at me like, ‘Really?’ But it worked out. I got the part, and later that year I was in Miami shooting the pilot.”

The cast didn’t expect Dexter to be a long-running hit

“We didn’t know what would happen. While filming the pilot we asked each other, ‘Is this going to work? Will people root for an anti-hero, a serial killer?’ We weren’t sure. You never know — the moons have to align. Luckily it did: we got picked up, they decided to shoot in L.A., and I ended up spending a lot of time there for the next ten years. Those were great times.”

Watch the full interview

David Zayas’ full conversation on Little Known Things with Ilana Levine is a long, thoughtful listen that adds even more nuance to these memories and his experience returning to Batista for Dexter: Resurrection.