Dermot Mulroney has had a long career across the large and small screens over the decades, and most recently made his debut in the 2023 TV schedule as President Ritson in Marvel's Secret Invasion for Disney+ subscribers. He's had to promote the project without knowing all the details, as has been a Marvel practice for years, and his recent interview on The View may generate more buzz for the actor walking off than hyping Secret Invasion.
Although he came to The View as a member of the Secret Invasion cast with an exciting new project to promote, he was happy to speak about his rom-com past, and the interview seemingly went according to the talk show's plan for the most part. It wasn't until several minutes in that he decided that he would walk off to show his support for the writers in the ongoing WGA writers strike. Take a look at the clip below, and you can skip to around the 8-minute mark to see his gesture of support:
Mulroney wasn't unpleasant in the slightest during the interview, and kindly to the hosts of The View saved his walk-off until the very end and made it clear that he was doing it symbolically rather than taking a shot at the talk show. He just made sure to show off his solidarity with the writers while live on The View and share that he'd be on the picket lines in July. After making his symbolic gesture, the My Best Friend's Wedding alum explained his reasoning in a statement to Variety:
Since I have such respect for ‘The View,’ a news program with a heart, it was there that I felt comfortable enough to draw attention to the ongoing WGA strike for fair wages and working hours, as I find it incredibly important to continue to support the union.
All in all, it's clear that Dermot Mulroney had no ill will toward The View or the co-hosts, but seized his opportunity to speak up for the WGA writers on strike after giving the meat of his interview. It looked like his conversation with the hosts on camera was ending anyway, so he did his job to promote Secret Invasion while still making sure that his statement made it into the live broadcast.
He also seems enthusiastic about the new Disney+ show, even though he only received the script pages that concern his character. Working with Samuel L. Jackson – who recently told a story about a stolen copy of the Avengers' script – seems to have been a highlight, along with reuniting with Don Cheadle. In fact, he doesn't even know the full story of Secret Invasion, so perhaps he'll be watching the new releases on Disney+ (and/or the Marvel movies in order to pass the time between episodes) along with the rest of the MCU fandom!
Check out Disney+ on Wednesdays for new episodes of Secret Invasion, featuring Dermot Mulroney as President Ritson! The series will run for a total of six episodes and kicked off with a devastating loss in the premiere... which may or may not stick.
