In his first interview about playing the New York Ripper, Brian Cox struggled to find something positive to say about Don Framt.
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| Brian Cox as Don Framt, the New York Ripper in Dexter: Resurrection Season 2. (Photo credit: Matt Infante/Paramount+) |
It was April 2 when, after months of fan theories and online speculation, Paramount+ finally revealed the actor set to portray The New York Ripper in Dexter: Resurrection Season 2. While the casting announcement thrilled many fans, others weren't happy that the character's identity had been revealed ahead of the new season rather than during an episode.
Still, given that the show was being filmed in New York City, the reveal was inevitable anyway. It was only a matter of time before details about the character became public. Now, with Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 approaching, Brian Cox has opened up about his role as The New York Ripper for the first time.
During a press junket interview with Etalk, the actor discussed what it was like to join the Dexter universe and actually admitted that playing this particular character was far from a comfortable experience.
Brian Cox Opens Up About Playing Dexter: Resurrection's New York Ripper
Although Cox was thrilled to be part of a show like Dexter, he found the nature of Don Framt, especially challenging. As he explained during the interview, Framt was unlike many of the characters he had played before, with very few redeeming qualities.
"It was the weirdest feeling I had playing him because I just thought he was like this guy that had nothing redeeming. So he was completely crazy. He was really just bats**t crazy. And I just had to go down that route and just, and I played him slightly hysterical because he laughs a lot, you know, and he's, but he was not a pleasant person to play, to be absolutely honest about it."
Brian Cox Explains Why Logan Roy Is More Sensitive Than Don Framt
During the same interview, Cox was asked to choose between Logan Roy in HBO's Succession and Don Framt in Dexter: Resurrection. Specifically, he was asked which of the two characters was more sensitive.
For Cox, the answer was an easy one, as he had no hesitation in choosing Logan Roy as the more sensitive character, explaining that Don Framt had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. In contrast, he considers Logan one of the most misnderstood characters he has ever played, arguing that people actually fail to understand his motivations.
According to Cox, Logan is first and foremost a businessman trying to find someone to take over his company, a difficult task made even more complicated by his three "horrible" children. Cox also pointed to one of Logan's most memorable lines, "You are not serious people," as one of his personal favorites.
While Logan Roy certainly had his own dark side, Cox clearly sees a difference between the two characters. In his view, Logan was a much more misunderstood figure, while Don Framt presented a very different challenge as a character with virtually no redeeming qualities.
Brian Cox Is Also a Dexter Fan
Despite the difficult experience of playing Don Framt, Cox also revealed that he is a fan of Dexter. The actor explained that he had watched the show over the years and had "enjoyed it enormously," making his addition to the show an exciting opportunity, even if his character wasn't exactly a pleasant person to portray.
It will actually be interesting to see how The New York Ripper develops throughout Season 2 and just how far his disturbing behavior will go. Based on the brief footage featuring Cox in the full-season trailer, Don Framt already looks set to be an especially unhinged character, maybe unlike anyone we've encountered on Dexter before.