Julie Benz (pictured) sounds delighted and very proud when talking about her former “Dexter” leading man, Michael C. Hall, and the way he’s handled his battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  “He’s fantastic, doing just fantastic. His cancer is definitely in remission, and you know, they caught it very early,” she points out.

And Hall’s decision to go public, she feels, will inspire countless fans and others “to go and get checked out because if you catch cancer early, you can kick its a–. Sorry to swear, but really, if you’re not feeling good or if you feel a lump in your gland, go to your doctor no matter what. No matter how busy you are.”

Julie: ”I’m very close to a lot of the cast — Jennifer (Carpenter) and I are close friends, and Michael, James Remar and his wife, David Zayas and his wife — and I had the pleasure of going through awards season and being reunited with everyone.”

She doesn’t mind the fact that people are still approaching her and exclaiming about what happened to Rita. “I love that it was that impactful. It would really suck if they killed off Rita and nobody responded.”

Congrats to Michael for turning 39 today. We wish him the best and we hope he has many amazing years ahead of him!
Offcours, we also hope he celebrated this day with all his loved ones, family and friends!!

Congrats Michael!!!!!
    

Michael C. Hall was a hit on Six Feet Under, and he’s just scored back-to-back Golden Globe and SAG Awards for playing the title character in Dexter, a medical examiner who moonlights as a vigilante serial killer.

The double win was especially sweet for Hall, who is undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Hall told Parade.com’s Jeanne Wolf that he’s grateful for the support of fans and friends and is looking forward to spilling more blood in the next season of his hit Showtime series.

Facing the big C.
“For me, personal health is very much a personal matter. I had every intention of keeping the fact that I had cancer quiet, but because the award shows were imminent, I figured I’d better make a statement. Lucky for me, I’m able to assure everyone that I’m really on the road to recovery. I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me who I wouldn’t have heard from otherwise, like former high school teachers and friends from college. I’ve actually spent a lot of time responding to a lot of really concerned but ultimately congratulatory emails.

Still surprised at his success as a killer.
“I thought that Dexter would probably develop some sort of cult following. I didn’t maybe anticipate that it would have such broad appeal and attract as many different kinds of viewers as it has. What I find hilarious is that this character has given me a female fan base who seem to find him sexy. It has to do with the persona I imagine Dexter had created for himself. Excuse the expression, but he’s comfortable in his skin. He has cultivated a kind of ease around himself.”

Fan encounters.
“Some people seem a little scared when they see me. Can’t imagine why. Others say, ‘You’re a serial killer. Cool!’ I think some of them feel guilty for watching the show, as if they are complicit or implicated in what Dexter does just because they enjoy it. They feel funny about sympathizing with him or even liking him.”

As for the folks back home in North Carolina.
“They like the show — at least that’s what my Mom tells me. I think it’s fun for them to see me. Honestly, I think some of my family members of a certain generation were more skittish about me playing a gay character on Six Feet Under than watching me play a killer. Now what does that say about the culture we live in that we can relate more to a murderous rage?”

His own take on Dexter’s bloody deeds.
“I’m reluctant to come down either way because I think the sort of ambiguity it creates in the viewer as far as his motivations is important. It’s like, ‘Is this guy totally faking it? Is he a total self-preservationist? Does he have feelings? If so, are they just buried so deep that he isn’t even aware of them?’ I think those unanswered questions about what’s driving him are part of the fun of the show.”

If you can call killing fun.
“I was never particularly skittish about blood nor was I particularly drawn to it or crime or serial killers either. I don’t know, maybe the five seasons I spent on Six Feet Under prepared me for the dead bodies I would encounter. Now I’m on the supply side. Playing a character like Dexter does require a bit of an imaginative leap. Maybe killing a fly is the closest I’ve come. Honestly, Dexter’s sense of killing a person, who he’s confirmed is worth being killed, might feel like killing a fly to him.”

He’d like to thank his mom.
“By the time I had decided to pursue acting, my father had passed away. But, my mother, thankfully, was by no means like a stage mom. She just basically said, ‘Okay. You do that.’ I’m sure she was biting her tongue thinking, ‘How are you going to pull it off? I mean the odds are so against you. Anyway, she gave me some good advice growing up like, ‘Showing up is 95% but don’t overstay your welcome,’ ‘Try not to be a burden on anybody,’ and ‘Don’t worry about a thing.’”

 Source: PB Pulse.com

Michael C. Hall and wife, Jennifer Carpenter attended the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) on Saturday, January 23, 2010. Hall was named outstanding actor in a drama series for his role as a serial killer on Showtime’s Dexter. This comes just a week after winning a Golden Globe.

Hall recently revealed that he was being treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He admitted to revealing his battle with cancer because he knew he would be making several public appearances.
“Because award shows were imminent, I had to make a statement,” he said at last week’s Globes.

Hall revealed to reporters backstage at the SAG Awards,“I’ve been feeling very well,” he continued, “because I made this announcement. Because of these public events, I’ve heard from people I would have not have heard from otherwise.”

Links:
- The 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Portraits