In an industry of empty gestures, Dermot Mulroney proved Friday that he fits right in.
Mulroney, perhaps best known for his role in “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” was on “The View” to promote his new series, the Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe entry “Secret Invasion.”
For eight minutes, the star gave deep answers to hard questions like, say, what he attributes his longevity in Hollywood to. (For the curious: “Work ethic … I work my tail off. I love it. Who wouldn’t want to when you have a job like I have?”)
Or perhaps you’d like to know what being a father to teenagers is like, because Mulroney knows.
“I’m having a wonderful time,” he said. “Boy, is it interesting.”
He also likes chihuahuas, he’ll have you know, but he wasn’t originally a chihuahua lover. Also, the plot of “Secret Invasion,” in which he plays the president? Yeah, it turns out there’s an invasion, and the invading forces didn’t send an RSVP card. So there’s that.
Then, eight minutes and 15 minutes into the interview, Mulroney asked co-host Joy Behar whether the show was going to commercial break.
“We are,” Behar said.
“First — I want to do this symbolically and in solidarity with the writers,” Mulroney said, referencing the entertainment industry scribes with the Writer’s Guild of America who are currently striking.
Do you agree with Mulroney’s ‘walk off’?
Yes: 65% (133 Votes)
No: 35% (72 Votes)
“I’m going to walk off your show,” Mulroney said. “I’ll see you on the picket lines.”
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Except not really. Quoth industry mag Variety: “After his walk-off gesture, Mulroney returned to the stage for photos with ‘The View’ hosts during commercial break.”
Nor, in fact, was this live.
“Even though Mulroney’s segment was pre-taped, his segment is planned to air exactly as it happened, Variety hears, and the moment with him leaving the stage is not expected to be edited out. (In the summer months, ‘The View’ airs live four days per week, but Friday shows are pre-taped),” Variety noted when it reported on the “walk-off” Thursday.
“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,” Mulroney said in a statement to Variety.
So not only was this an empty gesture that still allowed this to plug a role, it’s also a role in a series that highlights two of the more contentious issues in the ongoing strike, which began in May and doesn’t seem close to resolution.
First, writers are unhappy with the revenue and residuals they receive from shows that go directly to streaming — as so much content does nowadays — as opposed to that which goes to television or theaters first.
“Secret Invasion” is, naturally, one of these series, dropping on Disney+ without touching any of the company’s broadcast or cable networks.
Second, writers are increasingly concerned about the use of artificial intelligence to supplant them either partially or entirely. And — wouldn’t you know it? — “Secret Invasion” made news by being the first series where the opening credits sequence was created by AI:
Marvel just used AI to create the opening intro for their new series: Secret Invasion.
Is the future of content creation here?👀
AI video generation is officially going mainsteam. pic.twitter.com/Xm79SErdxz
— AI Daily (@AlexAIDaily) June 21, 2023
“Secret Invasion intro is AI generated. I’m devastated, I believe AI to be unethical, dangerous and designed solely to eliminate artists careers. Spent almost half a year working on this show and had a fantastic experience working with the most amazing people I ever met,” tweeted “Secret Invasion” concept artist Jeff Simpson on Wednesday.
“I worked with the Vis Dev team on character design, props, keyframes for the show etc. and nothing to do with the intro which would have been done much later I assume — to clarify.”
I worked with the Vis Dev team on character design, props, keyframes for the show etc. and nothing to do with the intro which would have been done much later I assume – to clarify
— Jeff Simpson (@jeffsimpsonkh) June 21, 2023
At the very least, the reaction to the opening credits sequence on “Secret Invasion” may score a point in the writers’ favor, since the general consensus was that it was hot garbage.
No way in hell Marvel used AI to create the secret invasion intro, this is the worst intro for any TV show ever #SecretInvasion pic.twitter.com/XePW5a4CtB
— Fdm (@theSnyderKnight) June 21, 2023
However, that’s not really the point. Mulroney conducted a whole eight-minute interview on “The View” to promote a series that symbolizes not one but two of the striking writers’ major concerns. He then walked off in solidarity, telling everyone he’d meet them on the picket lines. And then he returned to the set for pictures with the co-hosts of “The View,” so even that (admittedly unlikely) statement was a lie.
In Tinseltown, where red ribbons cure AIDS and sending Native American activists up to receive your Oscar is a sign of social consciousness, not asininity, Dermot Mulroney fits right in.
