Dermot Mulroney confirms ‘Chicago Fire’ exit: ‘It’s bitter to have to leave’
Dermot Mulroney is officially saying goodbye to “Chicago Fire.”
Mulroney, 62, has played Dom Pascal since season 13 of the NBC procedural. He was written off the show midway through season 14, but returned for the season finale in May.
In a recent appearance at Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Convention, Mulroney confirmed that he only appears in one episode of Chicago Fire’s upcoming 15th season. His departure came down to plot.
“This season, sadly, I have one episode. I finish on Tuesday and they write the character off,” Mulroney said in a video shared by an attendee. “We gave it our all for two seasons. They wrote an incredible storyline that put me as, an actor, in high challenge.”
Mulroney noted that he is “sad” to leave the drama series because of what it means to “first responders everywhere.”
“It’s an amazing thing to see … which makes it that much more — I won’t say bittersweet. It’s bitter to have to leave that,” he said.
NBC has yet to comment on the casting shakeup. Mulroney emphasized that he “loved every minute” of his time on “Chicago Fire.”
“[I] became friends with this incredible crew of people. Some of them had been there 15 years,” he said. “They gave me incredibly challenging scenes — if some of you saw that season 13 I was in.”
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Mulroney’s character lost a family member during season 13, which he said was a challenge to portray.
“It starts to feel really heavy,” he admitted. “They asked that of me and I delivered.”
Mulroney isn’t the only “Chicago Fire” star leaving this season. Joe Miñoso, who has played Joe Cruz since season 1, is also on his way out. He is set to appear in a handful of season 15 episodes to wrap up his character’s story line. The exits come as Da’Vinchi joins the cast as Marcus Burke, a “roguish and funny” firefighter candidate at Firehouse 51.
The first show in the “One Chicago” franchise, “Chicago Fire” follows the firefighters, rescue personnel and paramedics of the Chicago Fire Department and the fictional Firehouse 51. The series debuted in 2012.
Season 15 of “Chicago Fire” is set to premiere on Oct. 7. Seasons 1-14 are available to stream on Peacock.