Jack Alcott interview: ‘Dexter: New Blood’
“I literally knew nothing about the show,” admits Jack Alcott about landing the role of Harrison Morgan in “Dexter: New Blood.” The original Showtime series starring Michael C. Hall aired from 2006 to 2013, spanning the ages of 10 to 17 for the actor. “I was not old enough to watch it. I knew it was a great show and a lot of people watched it. When the audition came in I was like, oh, this is cool.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Throughout the audition process, Alcott was never actually told he would be playing Dexter’s son. “There was a fake name,” he explains. “I was auditioning for ‘Randall,’ who was vaguely described as a likable kid, but he’s got something going on. I was like, ‘Oh, he’s definitely going to be a bad guy, this is so cool.’ Then throughout a series of auditions…I learned this is Dexter’s son.”
Initially embarrassed he hadn’t seen the show, director Marcos Siega quickly encouraged Alcott not to binge it. “It initially confused me,” the actor says. “But he was like, ‘Look man, tonally this is later so it’s going to be different in a lot of ways. Most importantly, Harrison is not privy to any of this. What his dad is and what he does. He’s just a normal guy, a normal dad. That’s the only memory that you’re going to have of him, so, you come into this show with all of these questions. As an actor to also not have the answer is also going to be helpful for you.'”
As for working with Hall, the young actor has nothing but praises. “It could not have been more awesome,” he gushes. Prior to shooting, Alcott didn’t have anyone’s contact information except for Hall’s, who had texted him a “Congratulations” note. “My stir-crazy extroversion quickly overwhelmed my intimidation of Michael C. Hall and I just texted him, ‘Hey man, wanna hang out?’ We had lunch and got to know each other. He made it so easy to work. To act. He’s incredibly generous. He’s the coolest, most fun person.”
