Brittany Frederick – Staff Writer
brittanyfrederick@thetwocentscorp.com

Ever since I was forced to sit through a little movie called Ghost Ship eight years ago, Desmond Harrington has topped my list of most under appreciated actors.

I was lucky enough to meet him four years ago when he joined the ensemble of the truly great ABC improv comedy Sons & Daughters, and to discover that he’s also the nicest guy I’ve ever met.

These days, Desmond is part of one of TV’s best ensemble casts on Showtime’s hit series Dexter, as hot-headed, morally ambiguous detective Joey Quinn. He sat down with me to chat about his role on the show and a versatile career thus far.

(SPOILER ALERT – This interview contains spoilers for the fourth season of Dexter!!)

Source

TheTwoCents: So, first things first, how did you get involved with the show? It was certainly great to see you back on TV every week.
Desmond Harrington: The producer of the show, Sara Colleton, was one of the producers of [his 2001 film] Riding In Cars With Boys, she thought I’d be right for the part. I went in, I read for it and I got the part.

TTC: You were a recurring cast member in the third season and then you were promoted to series regular for season four. What was that like?
DH: I was recurring, but I was in every episode of the third season. I had a feeling that I was going to be coming back because they had built up this character. But it was finalized, I think, the last day of shooting season three.

TTC: Are you definitely coming back for season five?
DH: Yes, I do.

TTC: I found it interesting that your character is the only one viewers of the show don’t seem to have a strong opinion about. What’s it like playing that kind of ambiguous character?
DH: It’s especially tough whenever you are, to some degree, the nemesis of the person that everybody loves on the show – like I get in Michael [C. Hall’s] face. That’s not always that easy. It’s tricky. You can’t make them hate it. It’s a fine line to walk.

TTC: In the third season, you were kind of a total jerk for awhile, but you’re not as much in the fourth season. How much have you seen the character change in the last two seasons?
DH: You know, it’s kind of in the writers’ hands. You kind of play with it. I like the idea that we found out that he is a little bit corrupt, and I think over the last two seasons – this year he had a rough year.

TTC: Speaking of that, when did you know that your character was sleeping with the daughter of the Trinity Killer?
DH: I knew pretty early. I just knew it was going to happen, that that was the case. I didn’t know exactly how it was going to work. My reaction was to really just trust the writers, because they’ve done such a good job over the last few years, and just go with it.

TTC: Looking forward, where would you like to see Quinn go in the future? Do you think he’s ever going to be legitimately happy?
DH: I like the corruption aspect of it. I think that was kind of cool. And from here…I’m as interested as anybody else.

TTC: The last dramatic show you did was L.A. Dragnet (from 2003-2004). I noticed that your character there [LAPD Homicide Det. Jimmy McCarron] shares some similarities with Quinn, including similar backstory. Do you jut have a knack for hotheaded cops?
DH: I grew up in a working-class neighborhood in New York. I guess I look the part.

TTC: Any chance we’ll see you do more comedy after your stint on Sons & Daughters (2006)?
DH: Yeah, I’m up for it.

TTC: Is there a highlight of your career thus far?
DH: It’s probably working on Dexter. It’s just incredible to be a part of a show that’s so loved. It’s really cool.

Many thanks to Desmond Harrington for taking the time out to share his TwoCents with us. Look for him on the next season of Dexter!