It’s a good thing that Chief Dom Pascal has made inroads with the Firehouse 51 crew because he’s really going to need them when Chicago Fire returns with a new episode this Wednesday (NBC, 9/8c).
Following the unexpected death of his wife Monica in a car accident, Pascal seeks justice and makes some bad decisions as he navigates the “bumpy” stages of grief, his portrayer Dermot Mulroney previews in the below Q&A. But thankfully, the 51 team shows up for their boss despite their initial hesitations about Pascal.
Offscreen, however, Mulroney’s welcome to the long-running drama this season couldn’t have been more different from Pascal’s rocky start with his new colleagues.
“When I stepped onto the show, this cast embraced me, immediately,” the actor tells TVLine. “They let me into their group right away.”
Read on as Mulroney talks about how Monica’s death will affect Pascal, the chief’s thoughts on Damon’s possible return to 51 and his character’s bond with Novak.
TVLINE | They really threw some heavy, emotional scenes at you in the last episode. How is Pascal coping in the aftermath of Monica’s death?
Well, it’s really been tough, difficult acting, just quite frankly. Of course, that’s what I was hoping for. But man, they didn’t pull any punches, did they? So the viewer will go through the grieving process with Pascal, and it’s really bumpy, to be quite honest. As expected, maybe, if you know him, he goes back to work as part of how to get through the sudden loss of his wife, and like I said, it doesn’t go that smoothly. So some of the episodes upcoming, you’ll see him make some tough choices, not all of them the best, and really has trouble controlling his emotions. Those are really challenging episodes. The scenes that I’m in, I worked so closely with this incredible cast, so every time I talk [as] Pascal, I see all of their faces in their character, and I’m so touched to be a part of this core, with this ensemble.
TVLINE | In the episode description, it says that he searches for justice. What exactly does that entail?
You know, Pascal knows everybody, he knows all the strings to pull… Pascal has trouble in controlling his emotions and some of his choices aren’t that advisable. Thank goodness, he’s working with people who see things more clearly. In some ways, as Pascal kind of behind the scenes secretly had everybody’s back — he intervened for Kidd and steps in for Violet, gets her off with the health board or whatever — now they’re doing it for him. These writers put together such a full-circle [story], where the guy that’s kind of standoffish, quite frankly, becomes the one that you’ll see them begin to step up for.
TVLINE | Is there anyone specific at the firehouse who’s really there for him during this difficult time?
Somewhere in the story, they managed to pair up Pascal and Mouch, so I worked real closely with Christian Stolte, which is just a dream to be working so closely with someone who’s been in a character that long. I’ve never done that before. I have such respect for the dedication, but also how deep you are in the character when you know the guy that long. So without saying too much, they do have our characters cross. And those who know the show know that Violet had a terrible loss, too, so they really parallel those two stories, and Hanako Greensmith is just an incredible actor, great talent, and it’s been really touching working with her in that realm of grieving.
TVLINE | When Pascal first came into the show, the firehouse was maybe a little bit suspicious of him, had some feelings about this new guy coming in, taking over for Boden. But trauma has a way of bringing people together. As tragic as it is, does this experience help him to feel more accepted by the firehouse?
Yeah, you kind of hit it on the head, but the way they do it is so moving, really. … When I stepped onto the show, this cast embraced me, immediately, so I never had a doubt that we were all on board with each other, and they let me into their group right away. So I’ve loved that. And now they’re starting to do that with the character, whereas [before] they had to protect themselves a little bit, because he’s certainly acting like the big boss who could push people around. I think you come to learn through the season that he’s cooler behind the curtain than he is on his façade.
TVLINE | And how is Pascal feeling about Damon possibly coming back into 51, given how things ended when he was last there?
Well, I think for one thing, Pascal likes to see a guy take his knocks and have a second chance. That’s maybe jumping ahead in the story a little bit, but he’s pretty sus about having all of these family trappings in his firehouse. [Laughs] There are reverberations of this later, but this whole Severide and Kidd together thing, that’s kind of a burden in the saddle to begin with, and now we’re adding somebody’s brother. So from an administrative point of view, you can understand why Pascal would have some hesitance. But gosh, Damon just keeps proving himself, doesn’t he? So that speaks for itself, and that’s the tension in that the story that’s really fun to watch, too.
TVLINE | I’ve spoken to both showrunner Andrea Newman and Jocelyn Hudon about Pascal and Novak, and how, at times, Novak has made comments about Pascal that could be more than friendly. What’s your take on their relationship?
I don’t know about any of those comments, really. I read what’s in the script, but I don’t dwell on it because I don’t hear it. Of course, it creates this interesting tension, but I don’t have any answers to that, either. I think what we continue to prove is that there is kind of a special type of respect between them. But how that’s been defined yet, I don’t know… I think he’s pulling for her because she keeps proving herself. That’s, like, his rule: If you measure up to the standards, you’re good.
She kind of has his back, and he’s got hers, which is so interesting across age and across gender. If that’s how they’re playing it out, more power to them. We should see those types of respect in our work culture. We have that in filmmaking, I’ll tell you what, more so than in politics or in team sports. People are so respectful, crew to cast, cast to everyone they work with. It’s a remarkable place to be, and the more you see how hard people are on other people in their work space, the more I respect people who work in my industry because we do treat each other in the most remarkable way.
So they see that on Chicago Fire. I’d love if the storyline was supporting that. That would be amazing because that’s how people should be. And some of the stories on Chicago Fire are written in that way, so you see people behaving properly and making the right choice for their family or for the people that they work with. It’s cool the way that adds up over time.
TVLINE | Lastly, there’s a lot of firehouse romantic turmoil. You’ve starred in a lot of romantic comedies. Which of your rom-com characters do you think would have the best advice for this crew?
Oh, gosh, I don’t know. I think probably that guy I played on The Wedding Date. He seemed to know a thing or two. After all, he claimed to be some sort of therapist. Wasn’t that the joke? So, yeah, I’ll go with that guy. I think he knew the ropes.
