AFTER playing a stuffy gay mortician in ?Six Feet Under? for five seasons, Michael C. Hall metamorphosed into an avenging serial killer in ?Dexter.? Four years, several nominations, and a Golden Globe Best Actor award later, Hall swears he?s still challenged by the role of Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst by day and a violent vigilante by night.

?Some things are easier now,? Hall said in a recent interview by conference call. ?I am used to the clothes he wears and the place where he lives. I feel like I have real memories of that place. It does remain a tightrope walk. It hasn?t gotten easy; it certainly isn?t boring!?

Hall, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin?s disease last year, is thankful for the support of friends, family and fans during his treatment and recovery.

?The disease is in complete remission. I am through with my chemotherapy treatment. So it?s onwards and upwards. I am very fortunate to have [caught] something curable and treatable.?

?Fantastic? guest actors

The actor revealed that casting ?fantastic? guest actors like Jimmy Smits and John Lithgow in key roles continues to be beneficial to ?Dexter.? Smits played a manipulative assistant district attorney in season 3, while Lithgow plays the calculating ?Trinity Killer? in season 4, currently airing in the Philippines.

?Sometimes, it?s the first choice; sometimes, someone falls through and another person is cast at the last minute,? Hall said. ?But I do think we?ve been lucky. We have amazing actors on the show.?

As for Dexter Morgan, Hall thinks the character is popular partly because he disposes of villains, and also because of one resonant, relatable trait.

?Generally, people relish being given the permission to identify with someone with such a shadow because we all have that shadow. We all have some kind of secret [that makes us] feel separated from the rest of the world.?

The character continues to transform, targeting Miami?s most ruthless murderers while becoming the ideal family man. Hall believes many unexplored story lines will allow Dexter to develop further.

?Certainly, I never foresaw the [current] landscape. Rita (played by Julie Benz) and I have a child and we are married [in season 3]. I certainly think that as we are shooting the fifth season, there?s more to explore, more stories to tell.?

?Dexter? season four airs Mondays (10 p.m.) and Tuesdays (9 p.m.) on FoxCrime.