Dermot Mulroney is a mysterious figure whose darkness may extend well beyond the surface inDepravity. Having first found acclaim in such smaller dramatic fare asLong GoneandThe Thing Called Love, Mulroney would become well-known for his work as the love interest in a number of iconic titles, includingMy Best Friend’s WeddingandNew Girl, while also co-starring in the likes ofAbout SchmidtandThe Family Stone. More recently, Mulroney has found success withthe likes ofScream VI,Anyone but Youand Marvel’sSecret Invasion.
InDepravity, Mulroney stars as Mr. Evers, a peculiar tenet of an old-fashioned apartment building. Watched closely by his neighbors, Grace and Aria, Mr. Evers is generally seen coming and going at odd times of the night with his Rottweiler in tow, while also having a group of bizarre visitors in and out of his apartment. When Grace and Aria are awoken in the middle of the night by a loud scream amid a series of missing women, the duo suspect Mulroney’s character to be behind their disappearances, only to learn he’s up to something far darker.
Every Movie Dermot Mulroney Played Cello For (Yes, He’s On A Star Wars Soundtrack)
Dermot Mulroney has a huge filmography full of tons of beloved movies and series, but his credits as a cello player are just as impressive.
Alongside Mulroney, the cast forDepravityincludesWhere the Crawdads Singstar Taylor John Smith,Afterlife of the Party’s Victoria Justiceas Grace,Irma Vep’s Devon Ross as Aria,Latency’s Sasha Luss andBilly the Kid’s Alex Roe. Making the most of its single-location setting, the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated screenwriter Paul Tamasy proves to be a claustrophobic, unpredictable and engaging thriller.
Prior to the movie’s release,Screen Rantinterviewed Mulroney to discussDepravity, how Tamasy had already envisioned his villainous character’s unique appearance, the fun and engaging challenge of connecting to a character with only one line of dialogue in the film, working with a semi-trained dog actor throughout filming, and what to expect from the mysterious backstory of his newChicago Firecharacter, Chief Pascal.
Mulroney Loves Keeping His Streak Of Wild Thrillers Alive
“…it’s a super bizarre and wonderful movie.”
Screen Rant: Good to see you again, Dermot, how are you doing today?
Dermot Mulroney: I thought we met before. How are you doing, Grant? Thank you so much, I’m doing great.
I’m good, thank you. Yeah,we spoke forGone in the DarkandRuthless, so here we are again!
Dermot Mulroney: Ruthless crushed and Gone in the Dark is emerging. People are catching up to that movie with Winona in it. So, yeah, plug Gone in the Dark, because it’s a super bizarre and wonderful movie. Speaking of which…
Speaking of which, yeah,Depravityis another absolutely wild and bizarre movie. I’d love to hear what it was about Paul’s script and your character that drew you in and want to be a part of it?
Dermot Mulroney: Paul was so straight up and clear about how this character went, right down to the look, the haircut, the clothes, the dog. Sometimes, I got to be honest with you, Grant, it’s like if I pass on this — yeah, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play a part like that. I don’t want some other actor to play it. So, I get wind of something like this, had a great meeting with him and the producers, and it just made perfect sense, because I knew that I was just there to be what they had sculpted out for this part.
It’s so cinematic a movie, and classic in the way it’s edited, like ’70s movies, or you call up a bunch of those real taught, drawn-out thrillers. So, this is one of those very satisfying [projects], I was just a part of this quilt puzzle that Paul was making. It’s such a great assignment as an actor. It’s also an interesting assignment to have no lines, so it had to be an effective image, and I knew I was being framed and lit, and the colors in that hall, and obviously, then within Mr. Evers' own apartment, you really run into a serious vibe.
Mr. Evers' Specifc Look Added Another Face To Mulroney’s “Couple Hundred”
“…it’s trying to do something different.”
So, you talk about the look, and I’d love to hear what your first reaction was when you saw in the mirror how you actually looked all done up?
Dermot Mulroney: Well, I think I got the shave there. So, yeah, I watched it happen. I’ve been cut close a couple of times like that. Maybe really short in Inhale and in Big Miracle, but not right down to my head like that. So yeah, that was a big part of the draw to do this movie, because I can put a whole other look out there in the world and add to my — I won’t say 1000 faces, but a couple hundred. [Chuckles] You know, it’s trying to do something different. It’s always been my assignment, if possible, to create a real, substantially unique and accurate-to-the-character look.
So, if you flip through, you know, I’ve done okay, there’s a lot of them you can’t really, but then you go back, and you look at The Family Stone, and you realize, “Oh, that’s his whole look with those overcoats, and a turtleneck and the part in his hair.” So, it’s half of the assignment, and in this, it was like 90% of the assignment. I only say one word. [Laughs] That’s its own challenge, even though it’s obviously easy, you don’t have to remember lines. But we like remembering lines, so keep that in mind.
The Physicality Of His Villain Came Quickly For Mulroney
Working With The Dog In The Film Also Proved A Unique Experience For Him
I’d love to hear what it’s like, then, coming up with the physicality of this character, since, like you say, so much of who he is is just in how he carries himself.
Dermot Mulroney: Well, I could tell, I could feel it. I could feel it when I was cut, and then when I’m wardrobing. The designer and Paul really wanted it that way. It’s really like a culminating experience. You put those together, and then I’m arriving on the set, in wardrobe, they hand me this dog, and then I know enough from how the hallway is lit, and how they’re framing it, and just the color absorption in this movie, that we were really onto something.
Then, it’s about becoming a part of the whole piece. And it had to be, because again, I had different tools. I couldn’t use words. So, it was a great challenge, even though it was easier is exactly what I mean, you know? Yeah, a brand-new role. I don’t think I’ve ever had a part that wasn’t talking all the time. I’ve had a lot of lines, man, I’ve had a lot. [Chuckles]
Since you mentioned the dog, what was it like working with that dog? Because, obviously, dog actors are very different from how dogs are in real life.
Dermot Mulroney: And you can see that dog actors are different from dogs in real life in almost every movie, because there’s a trainer off camera holding a treat, and the dog’s looking off, or making a fakie bark, or whatever, right? I guess one thing that really, really impresses me with the dog is you can train a dog to lift his leg and pretend he’s taking a piss. So, whenever you see that in a movie, I like that, but a lot of times it doesn’t quite work. [Chuckles]
The eyeline’s off, you’re able to tell the dog’s not thinking what it says in the script. But in Depravity, this was a trained dog. He did what the owner said, and what I [said while] working with him, but he wasn’t a “trained” dog. So, none of the little events, walking down the hall, getting in an elevator with three other people, looking down into the laundry chute, he’d never done it before. So, that’s why he seems so real. The owner and I just got him to do it, and he did it right. So, it wasn’t overly trained, as it sounds like you’ve spotted before, so that plays great in Depravity, too.
The dog is excellent; a huge Rottweiler, dark-chocolate brown Rottweiler. Not my friend. I didn’t go in to be his friend. I was stern with him, and then we got it all done. But I miss him, I liked him a lot. I just didn’t want to be too light with him. And it adds so much to the character. It just fell into place, and then so many of the elements, the wardrobe, even the haircut, the mood and the lighting, the animal, that’s the character, because I didn’t have the other tool of the gab.
Even Mulroney Is In The Dark On The Extent Of Pascal’s Miami Backstory InChicago Fire
“…I can tell you this, these storylines go great.”
I see I’ve got enough time for one more question, so I want to ask you really quickly. I love that you’re now in theOne Chicagouniverse. Pascal’s a great addition totheChicago Firecast. So far, we’ve gotten a little bit of a mystery as far as what his background is with Miami. I’d love to hear what you’re able to share about that, or when we might start learning about what that backstory is.
Dermot Mulroney: Thank you. We’ve seen three episodes, and they’re brilliant. The writers, all they had to do was drop one [line] in the first episode, “What happened in Miami,” and it’s driving everyone crazy. Because you see this story every week for 12 years. I’ve never done this, Grant, so I’m doing it for the first time, and people are nuts about trying to figure out what happened with Pascal. So, let me tell you this, we’ve shot seven, we’re on our eighth episode, so I know a little bit more, but I do not know the whole of it.
Even myself, the actor, even though, in the life of the character, I’ve already lived through what happened in Miami, but that’s how they do it. So I’m learning too, but I can tell you this, these storylines go great. It’s not linear, they’re really introducing Pascal in a great way. He has his moral challenges, and then obviously he’s a firefighter, so he keeps going in. So, it’s really a great role to get, and I’m thrilled to be here and on regular network television. I love that, too. [Chuckles]
AboutDepravity
When three residents suspect their reclusive neighbor is a serial killer, they break into his apartment only to uncover a hidden fortune in stolen art. But their discovery turns into a nightmare as they’re ensnared in a sadistic game of survival, where every corner hides a new horror. Outsmart the killer or become his next victim. Starring Victoria Justice, Devon Ross, Taylor John Smith, and Dermot Mulroney. From the writer of The Fighter and The Finest Hours.
Check out our otherDepravityinterview withVictoria Justice and Devon Ross!
Depravity
Cast
Three residents, suspecting their neighbor of being a serial killer, break into his apartment and discover stolen art. Their investigation turns into a nightmare as they are ensnared in a deadly survival game, where they must outsmart the killer or risk becoming his next victims.
