Here's Why Julia Stiles Was Written Out of 'Dexter'

Julia Stiles was one of the most popular actors in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She had several acting credits before her big break in 10 Things I Hate About You, but her role in this teen classic cemented her status as a romantic lead. As Kat Stratford, Stiles became an iconic role model

The Big Picture

  • Julia Stiles starred in teen classics like 10 Things I Hate About You and Save the Last Dance before taking on darker roles.
  • In Dexter 's Season 5, Stiles plays Lumen, a trauma survivor who helps Dexter understand love and redemption.
  • Stiles' Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated performance as Lumen expanded her acting range, but she left after one season and didn't return for the sequel series, Dexter: New Blood .

Julia Stiles was one of the most popular actors in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She had several acting credits before her big break in 10 Things I Hate About You, but her role in this teen classic cemented her status as a romantic lead. As Kat Stratford, Stiles became an iconic role model for teen girls, showcasing her intelligence and fierce individuality. She then had a few roles in this similar type of fare, including Down to You, Save the Last Dance, and The Prince and Me. But Stiles wasn't just adept at rom-coms; she also nailed difficult roles as Ophelia in the 2000 Ethan Hawke version of Hamlet and 2001's O (a modern retelling of Othello).

Stiles took on smaller roles for a few years (with a sidestep into action in The Bourne Ultimatum), but then in 2010, she was cast in Showtime's hit series, Dexter. The show was known for its gruesome depiction of a serial killer (Michael C. Hall) murdering anyone he deemed to be evil, so understandably, fans were confused. Was this the same Stiles who had starred in all those lighter teen-friendly flicks? And could she pull off what would likely be her most intense and harrowing role yet? Stiles proved all her doubters wrong with the role of Lumen Ann Pierce, who leaves an indelible mark on Dexter (and subsequently on viewers, too). Stiles arrives in Season 5, appears in 10 episodes, and then her character simply leaves Dexter's life for good. So, why did Stiles end up exiting a role that turned out to be so perfect for her?

Dexter
TV-MACrimeDramaMystery Release Date October 1, 2006 Cast Michael C. Hall , Jennifer Carpenter , Geoff Pierson , David Zayas , James Remar , Aimee Garcia , Desmond Harrington , C.S. Lee Main Genre Crime Seasons 8 Website http://www.sho.com/site/dexter/home.do Studio Showtime Expand

Who Was Lumen in Season 5 of 'Dexter'?

Season 5 starts out covering a very difficult period of Dexter's life. His wife, Rita (Julie Benz), has just been found brutally murdered in the finale of Season 4, and Dexter is now left to pick up the pieces (which includes caring for his young son, Harrison). He decides to continue carrying out his code, which consists of killing anyone who has caused harm to others. He starts tracking a serial killer named Boyd Fowler, who he follows to his home. Right when Dexter is putting a knife into Boyd's heart, he notices someone else watching him. He discovers a disheveled woman who has very clearly been kept captive in the house and abused. Initially, Dexter locks her in an abandoned Visitor Center until he can figure out what to do with her (she did witness him murder someone, after all). After she makes several attempts to escape, Dexter eventually convinces the woman that he won't hurt her, and he earns her trust. Through his own investigations into her past, Dexter discovers that her name is Lumen. Boyd had been part of a group called the Barrel Girl Gang; they tortured, assaulted, and killed women and then left their bodies in barrels in a nearby marsh. Lumen would likely have suffered the same eventual fate if Dexter hadn't stepped in.

In subsequent episodes, Lumen tries to cope with the severe trauma she's endured. However, she finds herself unable to move past her intense feelings of anger; she doesn't think she can heal until she seeks revenge on all of the men who abused her. Once Dexter realizes that Lumen isn't going to turn him in for the murder of Boyd, the two realize they can lean on each other. Dexter tells her about his 'dark passenger' and the code he uses for killing. Lumen is the first person he has confessed to (besides his adoptive father, Harry), and she serves as an important part of Dexter's life. The two start a romantic relationship, with a shared bond that proves that their respective darkness doesn't make them unlovable. Through this connection, they work together to take out the members of the Barrel Girl Gang, with Lumen taking over the role of stabbing people in the heart for at least two of the men and watching Dexter exterminate the lives of several more.

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“Monsters don’t get to live happily ever after.”

Julia Stiles' Exit from 'Dexter' Was Always Planned

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At the end of Season 5, the last member of the Barrel Girl Gang has been eliminated. Lumen realizes that the darkness she was carrying is now gone, and she tells Dexter that she has to leave Miami now. Dexter is notably heartbroken, but he still understands, saying, "Don't be sorry your darkness is gone. I'll carry it for you, always. I'll keep it with mine." When the Season 5 finale aired, executive producer Sara Colleton said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the writers knew from the very beginning that Lumen would leave Dexter. She noted, "He understands that her dark passenger has left, that her need for vengeance has been quenched, and that he can never escape this, this is who he is, and he needs to let her go." Lumen has served her purpose: to remind Dexter that he's capable of loving and being loved despite his darkness.

The point of Lumen's character is to illustrate that some people can exist in a dark period in their lives and still move out of it into a healthier space in the future. Despite the horrific circumstances Lumen went through, she is still somehow able to put it behind her. Of course, not everyone going through trauma will go down the path of murdering someone, but Lumen demonstrates that it is possible for that type of darkness to be left in the past. Even if this type of journey isn't conceivable for Dexter, the relationship allows his character to grow and heal some of his own shame and guilt. This proves that Lumen was the light that Dexter needed in order to carry on.

Just as Lumen was helpful to Dexter, so was this role for Stiles. She received an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination for her work and convinced audiences that she could take on darker, more challenging roles. It was certainly a missed opportunity that Stiles didn't pop up in the sequel series, Dexter: New Blood, that aired in 2021. As one of the few people who knew about Dexter's true self, it would have been interesting for her to pop up and reconnect with her old, murderous flame. However, despite this omission, Stiles still created a character that remains one of the best parts of the Dexter world.

Seasons 1-8 of Dexter are now available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

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