In 'Dexter,' a badge of authenticity
PUSSS...@aol.com
NY DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
David Zayas spent 14-1/2 years "on the job," to use the gumshoe term.
Now he's simply playing a cop on TV.
As Detective Angel Batista on Showtime's "Dexter," he's the
quintessential pro dealing with two loose cannons: Michael C. Hall's
emotionless killer cop, Dexter Morgan, and Erik King's caustic and
suspicious Sgt. Doakes. As suggested by his first name and choice of
attire (garish Hawaiian print shirts), Batista injects a sense of hope
and humor into this dark precinct.
"A really good police officer makes a good actor," said Zayas. "They
really do complement each other.
"As a cop, you have to develop a keen sense of self, you have to be
aware of everything and everyone around you, and you have to be very
specific in how you deal with circumstances."
"Dexter" has its first-season finale Sunday at 10 p.m. As fans of the
show know, Zayas' character almost didn't make it to season two.
"He's a tough guy," said Zayas, "but nobody is safe."
Zayas lives in Manhattan with his wife, actress Liza ColonZayas. (He
has two children: a son, 21, and a daughter, 18, both in college.)
Zayas, who grew up in the South Bronx, was on the NYPD from 1986 until
he retired in 2000, spending the majority of his career in Washington
Heights' 30th Precinct. When he started getting more acting work, he
transferred to the Midtown North near Times Square.
He had always nursed an aspiration to act. Joining Philip Seymour
Hoffman's Labyrinth Theater Company in 1992 got him noticed in New
York, while his bona fides opened many doors.
He has played cops in "NY Undercover," "NYPD Blue" and "Law & Order"
and its spinoffs. In 1999, he landed a recurring part on Tom Fontana's
"The Beat." The show was canceled after one season, but Fontana added
him to another show, the HBO prison drama "Oz."
"The second season I was on 'Oz,' things started to get really hectic
for me," said Zayas. "I worked on ['Oz'] during the day. I would go to
my theater company at night, and then at midnight I would start my
shift. That's when I thought: I have to make a choice."
His fellow cops were skeptical.
"They pretty much said what everyone else said, that I was insane, that
I was giving up the job, that I only had a few more years left for my
[full] pension, that I was taking a risk. And that's fine," he said.
"They were right.
"I took an extreme risk. Logically it was the wrong choice, but
instinctively it was the right choice, and I followed that instinct -
and thank God I did. I was fortunate enough to have a temporary case of
a little bit of courage, and I went with it."
Messalina
God, I hope they keep his character. Its one of the few on this show
you can embrace unreservedly. The lead is, of course, somewhat
compromised and his sister is just annoying. The girlfriend needs a
swfit kick in the pants. Doakes is just a dick. Go Batista!
Mez
Mez
azi...@gmail.com
> God, I hope they keep his character. Its one of the few on this show
> you can embrace unreservedly. The lead is, of course, somewhat
> compromised and his sister is just annoying. The girlfriend needs a
> swfit kick in the pants. Doakes is just a dick. Go Batista!
>
> Mez
>
Agree with your summation. Batista is also a wounded hero and his own
problems are all too human, yet he remains centered and always the
professional.
Compared to the rest of the unit and the Captain, the squad is an
assortment
of odd balls. What is the story behind the chica head of the unit who
was kicked
out last week by the Captain for bumbling the investigation? What
happened to
the situation with Dexter and her hots for him?