Webster Alumna Lands Recurring Role in 'Dexter' Reboot

We all are about to see a lot more of Webster University alumna Katy Sullivan. Sullivan, who earned her BFA in Acting in Webster’s Conservatory of Theatre Arts in 2002 and received an honorary doctorate from Webster in 2019, landed a recurring role in the upcoming Dexter revival series on Showtime, Dexter: New Blood. While she has had appearances on hit shows such as Station 19, NCIS: New Orleans, My Name Is Earl, Legit, and Last Man Standing, and starred in the stage production of Pulitzer winner Cost of Living, this marks her first recurring role.

Dexter was a hit television phenomenon that focused on a serial killer who worked as a forensic technician and used his passion for homicide to find new clues and solve crimes. The show aired from 2006 through 2013 and won numerous awards and a cult following among fans.

The 10-episode miniseries, which will air on Showtime starting Nov. 7, picks up 10 years after the hit show’s final season. In this reboot, the location is a remote upstate New York town called Iron Lake, where Dexter now lives under the pseudonym Jim Lindsay. Sullivan plays the kooky local police dispatcher Esther (left: Sullivan as Esther on the set of Dexter: New Blood). “She’s kind of the town gossip,” Sullivan said. “She knows everything that's going on before anybody else and she's always got her finger on the pulse of what's going on in town.”

Sullivan said that this is her biggest acting role to date and is excited to see where it takes her career. “Work begets work, and the fact that my agent can now market me as the woman from Dexter will only help. It’ll be interesting to see where it leads.”

Sullivan said that what made getting this part even more special was that she was a fan of the original show. “I think it was the last show that I watched in real time, like I knew when it was on TV didn't want any spoilers the next day, so this honestly is like the first time in my career that I was like, if I actually got to do this, this would be so fun and crazy and awesome.”

Being a student in a conservatory program and at Webster gave me a foundation that has really been supportive and helped me feel confident as a professional actor.

Sullivan found out about the part in November of last year and went after it aggressively, especially since the character was written to have a disability similar to Sullivan, who was born a bilateral, transfemoral amputee – missing both legs through her femur bones. “As a performer with a disability, opportunities don't come up all the time. You attack auditions and hope for the best, but this was a particularly fun win in my career.”

Sullivan said that while being an actor isn’t always glamorous, it can be incredibly rewarding if you stick with it. “There's a lot of rejection there's a lot of disappointments and it can be really challenging and hard, but I think if you can figure out a way to remain diligent in it and stay the course, I think that is ultimately how things have changed for me.”

Sullivan served as the commencement speaker for Webster’s 2019 Commencement ceremony and received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.

Sullivan said that one of the reasons she was able to find success was because of everything she learned during her time at the Conservatory. “My time there just gave me a toolbox full of techniques and things that help you on the fly,’” she said. “Being a student in a conservatory program and at Webster gave me a foundation that has really been supportive and helped me feel confident as a professional actor.” 

The best part of her experience was the people she worked with and the friendships she made with the other cast and crew members. “It was a great experience with a wonderful group of people, and I think everybody was just really excited to be to be a part of it and to be there, so that also helps.”

“I'm just really excited for the world to get to see this show,” Sullivan continued. “I think, for fans of the series, it's going to be very satisfying.”