Back in 2010, Julia Stiles surprised fans by taking on the role of rape survivor Lumen Pierce in the crime drama Dexter. Prior to that, the actress had rarely ventured into television. In fact, in the years prior, Stiles was known for her work on various films, starring alongside the late Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You, playing the lead in Save The Last Dance, and joining the Bourne franchise.
And while her time on Dexter led to an Emmy nomination, there have been mixed feelings about Stiles’ time on the show. Some may also be under the impression that this led to the actress’ exit after just one season. However, it seems those rumors couldn’t be further from the truth.
Why Was Julia Stiles On ‘Dexter’?
Prior to Dexter, Stiles hadn’t worked on a TV show in a long time. The last time that the actress did was back in the '90s when she was still a Hollywood newcomer. In her early years, Stiles landed roles in shows such as Ghostwriter, Promised Land, and Chicago Hope.
Soon after, she was cast in the crime drama The Devil’s Own, which is headlined by Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, and Margaret Colin. Since then, Stiles has never looked back.
But then, it seems the actress was suddenly tapped for a recurring role during Dexter’s fifth season. Around this time, Stiles also felt like there was no better time to give episodic projects a try.
“It was my first introduction to a cable drama,” the actress recalled during an episode of Collider Ladies Night. “And I remember back then, cable had just started to become great and really appealing to actors.”
In the beginning, Stiles’ role in the drama was a largely guarded secret. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Chip Johannessen only said, “We're not going to have a single Big Bad this season. We don't want to try and top John Lithgow, so we’re going to change up the forces that Dexter's going to be dealing with.”
Meanwhile, it seems it was the thrill that came with the role that convinced Stiles to sign on. “They told me the broad strokes of what would happen over the season,” she recalled while speaking with Los Angeles Times. “I asked them: ‘Do I get to kill someone?’ And they said, ‘Yes.’ And I said, ‘OK, I’m on board.’”
Why Did Julia Stiles Leave ‘Dexter’?
Stiles’ stint on Dexter may have been relatively brief but it seems it was designed that way. In fact, based on Stiles’ interview, it’s safe to say that she only agreed to work on a single season. Soon after her exit, the actress was asked about a possible appearance in the sixth season to which she replied, “Honestly, I have no idea. That’s out of my jurisdiction.”
In addition, the actress was also quite surprised that the writers kept Lumen alive towards the end of her time on the show.
“Honestly, I thought Lumen would wind up dead because every guest gets murdered in the end,” Stiles explained. “But it wasn’t about just getting to kill someone. That’s a trite way of saying it. It was about being inside Dexter’s secret world as opposed to outside of it.”
What Has Julia Stiles Been Up To Since ‘Dexter’?
Stiles’ time on Dexter may have been relatively brief but the show made a lasting impression on the actress, nonetheless. Because of the show, she suddenly found herself wanting to do more television.
“And Dexter totally changed my mind about that so that then I could go on to do Riviera and feel really confident that working on a 13-episode drama is a really fun job and can be really rewarding for actors,” Stiles revealed.
Stiles went on to star in the Sundance Now drama thriller throughout its three seasons. Over the years, she also continued to pursue film roles, starring in the Oscar-winning film Silver Linings Playbook, Between Us, Closed Circuit, Out of the Dark, and later on, Hustlers and The God Committee.
More recently, Stiles had also taken on voice acting, portraying the character of geologist Olivia Kullersen in the How to Train Your Dragon spinoff Dragons: The Nine Realms.
“It's like the closest I'll ever get to being a singer or a musician,” the actress said of her involvement with the series during an interview with Romper. “Because you have to put everything into your voice — a higher or lower pitch, a different inflection at the end of the sentence, that kind of thing.”
Stiles is also thrilled to have worked on something that she can show to her children, four-year-old Strummer and newborn Arlo (the actress and her husband Preston Cook welcomed their second child in January 2022).
“I'm excited I have something that I can watch with my kids. For the longest time I think my son only thought that what I do for work is getting my hair and makeup done because that's when he can come and hang out with me,” the actress said. “And I'm like, ‘no, I actually do work.’”
Fans may be pleased to learn that Stiles is making her way to television once more with the Canadian dramedy series The Lake, which is expected to be available on Amazon Prime Video later this year. At the same time, the actress has also been attached to the family drama Chosen Family, which is written and directed by actress Heather Graham.
As of December 2021, the film is still reportedly in the pre-production stage.
