Dermot Mulroney has wooed his fair share of ladies on the big screen, in such romantic comedies as "My Best Friend's Wedding" and "The Wedding Date." But as of late, he's been applying those skills to the small screen with a guest-starring role on Fox's "New Girl," in which he plays the latest love interest for Zooey Deschanel's character. I like Russell and all, but can you please let [creator] Liz Meriwether know that once the roadblock is over, some of us would like Nick to make the move.
Russell Schiller (Mulroney) is the fancy man in Jess' (Deschanel) life. Hey, you know what, I'll be honest with you, what I'm doing with Liz is trying to get on the show more.
He owns a hot-air balloon and a hangar in Palm Springs. He uses the "three smile mode" when operating a Japanese bidet. Because, when I took the job, it was the first I had seen of the show. So I just thought, "Wow, there's Zooey on a TV show.
And he's the kind of guy who makes ending a date with a pat on the back instead of a kiss somewhat endearing because, well, he's forgotten how to "tell whether it was the right moment." Need we say more? That's gonna be good." I never saw it, though, until they discussed me taking a part in it.
After taking a breather last week, Mulroney is back to romancing Jess. So I watched three or four episodes in one night and was just blown away with how funny it was.
Show Tracker caught up with the actor and found that he too is a fan of a future Nick/Jess hookup, has never sported a skinny ponytail and, like some folks, hasn't yet seen "Smash." I hate to start off this way, but I have to say, I'm really upset with you. Because I've been rooting for this Nick/Jess romance since the beginning of time and then Russell came along and totally has me rooting for him too. And, obviously, for me it was a different kind of job, so I was interested in that as well.
I could not have had better luck than falling into this show. And the writers and producers are really at the top of their game and they're really young, too. I got to tell you, as funny as the show already is, they have more to give when this continues. They have literally just scratched the surface of what they're capable of.
Is there any similarity between you and Russell -- might we find pictures of you sporting a skinny ponytail if we searched really hard? And I'm grateful for that because I think that would be photographic evidence that I would never be able to live down. But there's a whole -- I don't know what the rules are with revealing too much.You don't own hot-air balloons or a Japanese bidet? I know everyone thinks actors are rich, but I happen to be one of the ones who is not. What about the fact that he's getting into the dating scene after splitting from his wife of many, many years? As you close out your arc, are we going to see any scenes with you and Schmidt? I actually got in touch with [executive producers] Jake Kasdan and Liz [Meriwether] to say, "You know when I called you the peanut gallery in that other article, I really meant that in a nice way." So I have to be careful. I'm just thinking, "Hello, you'd come full circle.Well, I think the "whole getting back to the dating scene" has been funny in a lot of things for a long time. It's basically a fish-out-of-water story and that applies to Russell in a lot of ways in his arc. I think that's what's funny is here's this guy you wouldn't picture going on a date with Zooey. Well, you know, I want to point out something: I don't write this, so just know that I would never do that. I really don't know what the rules are on this show, so I'm just going to plow forward and break some of them, I imagine. They have this drinking game in their apartment so it gets rather outlandish. You were in ' About Schmidt' and now you've found yourself in the presence of another Schmidt." Oh, wow, that's true. You're mostly a film guy, but would you consider doing TV on a more permanent basis?And checking/answering his phone at the table on that date! I just show up with a smile on my face and put on the suit and do the scene. Well, he's part of the drinking game and he's always trying to check the label on my suit. Most of my work has been in film and that's because I really enjoy it. As you may know, I'll be appearing on "Enlightened," so I went back for more right away. These shows are pretty interesting, not "Enlightened" ... No, don't get me wrong, "Enlightened" is very interesting. "New Girl," though -- I take that job not knowing what they're going to have me do or say.But, yes, I answer the phone at the table and I left very abruptly. Even in the moment, they'll be throwing lines for you to say.Yes, and that's when I found myself back on Team Nick. Typically, I would sign on for a movie role knowing what happens on page 120 when it's over and what is to be expected of me in the meantime. ugh, I can't tell you anything about "Enlightened" because it's too good. "New Girl," every week it's revealing some other thing that you didn't know you were ever going to be asked to do on camera. I would happily come back to cause more anti-Nick trouble even though I know that breaks your heart. Um, but that's only one of the hurdles in whether these movies have a long life.