After he was first mentioned in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, President Ritson made his debut in Secret Invasion played by Scream VI star Dermot Mulroney.
In last week's episode, Gravik's Skrull rebels attacked the U.S. President, with Talos giving his life to save the Commander in Chief. Nick Fury rushed him to safety after that, though it won't be until this Wednesday when we learn what's become of the world's most powerful politician.
We recently spoke with Mulroney about his role in the Disney+ series, and started by reminding him that he played very coy when we asked about those set photos last year! From there, the actor addressed the explosive action sequence in "Beloved" and reflected on working with Samuel L. Jackson and Don Cheadle.
The Secret Invasion star also discusses his MCU debut, what his future as part of this franchise could look like with Harrison Ford playing President "Thunderbolt" Ross, and much more.
Check out our full interview with Mulroney in the player below.
When I spoke to you for Agent Game last year, you expertly dodged my question about being in this show so what was dealing with that secrecy like for you and how good is it to finally talk about this show?
[Laughs] I can finally breathe a sigh of relief! I’m convinced Marvel marketing and their PR department…I don’t think they had any plans of any sort to make some official announcement that Dermot Mulroney was going to play the President. I don’t think it was going to play that way, but fans themselves found this reveal. They zoomed into a picture taken of one of the sets that had a newspaper prop I’m on as a President. If you ask me, that was its own wonderful reveal and the story of it being an average Joe to find it is half the fun. For me, it happened so much more enjoyably than some blaze official corporate announcement of adding yet another actor to a crowded cast. It took on its own personality and was a fun reveal.
Many of your scenes so far have been with Don Cheadle, so how’s it been collaborating with him and were you aware he’s playing a version of Rhodey who is, in fact, this alien imposter?
To be honest, if Ritson was aware, Dermot wasn’t [Laughs]. If I missed that in the few pages they gave me, my bad. I think in those early scenes, no. I’m with my national security and Presidential advisor, Colonel James Rhodes as a human being. I have no suspicion of him. In fact, maybe this is a bit of a reveal, but the last scene we shot was the scene in episode one where we’re climbing the stairs and I’m challenging him to fix the situation as we’re about to depart for Europe for the global summit. The scene was almost reverse-engineered in my thinking, but it’s always interesting when you shoot things out of order and how that gives to a character in the scene. That’s one of my favourites working with Don. I couldn’t have had a better time. So blessed.
You’re part of this big action sequence at the end of episode 4, and there’s a great shot of those missiles hitting the convoy and you being hurled upside down - can you talk about what that really cool moment was like to shoot?
Oh, thank you, it was a really cool moment. I’ve been in a couple of car wrecks before this, but nothing - fictionally speaking - with a missile coming down an hitting my SUV! To shoot it, once the vehicle comes to a stop, I’m on that field, but I didn’t see them doing all the stunts because I’m obviously not in the car for that. I just arrive at this bombed-out field with this burned-out helicopter and they slip me into a harness inside the car and hang me upside down! The shot that’s in the sequence where the car is tumbling is its own set. They built a machine just to tumble that car. It’s incredible. They tested it a million times with stuntmen strapped in there, everything is tied down and nothing can go flying, and then they hook me up and turn it on and let me go [Laughs]. There I am spinning around four or five or six times. Then they turn it up a little or turn it down, and I was probably in there half a dozen times!
It’s a spectacular accomplishment from the crew that literally engineers a new machine each time. Bravo to them and all the people who designed that sequence. It’s nice to be a small part of it, but such a key part of the conflict too even without me knowing it. Who saves me causes more [conflict] in the storyline because Fury is unable to do that which is also…we don’t have an awful lot of Marvel heroes who can’t do something, so that’s awesome in its own right. When he has to rely on an alien to save the President…that causes a lot of mistrust. We always love it in the comics when everyone thinks the good guy is the bad guy, so it’s a little moment of that too.
This is another epic MCU series, but you’ve very much been in the midst of a political thriller up until now. Were you surprised when you learned what Marvel was going for with the show?
It was really wonderful and a cool assignment made clear to me by Ali Selim, the director. I gave him all of my trust and he’s a wonderful director and great guy. He knew what he was getting in performance in relation to these other characters and that it would fit seamlessly into the rest of the storylines. Some of those are in underground bunkers in Russia, alien enclaves here and there, spaceships, and mine was just meant to be a trip to Europe to settle this attack, and I get caught up in a terrorist attack myself. It changes his program and really pissed Ritson off bad [Laughs]. That will come to a head in a couple of episodes.
As the episode ends, Fury loses his best friend and rushes you to safety; I know you can’t give too much away, but can you talk about what it was like working with Sam and getting to bounce off him?
It was an amazing experience! Like everyone else, I’ve been a huge fan and admirer. He’s really an inspiration to all of us, so it goes without saying that it was a top thrill to be with him. You noticed it too that there’s a bit more of the sequence to continue, but we’re really in the mud together in this blown-out film set. I’m really hanging upside down and he’s really lying in the mud trying to get me out of there. More power to him, man! He’s an amazing example with how much he gives and how well-prepared he is. I couldn’t say enough. I’ve definitely had this feeling a couple of times recently where I’ve really felt lucky to be within a thing where all of us, and certainly actors who invented FOMO about not getting a part, but this time it was me. I was in that scene and this close with Samuel L. Jackson. I really can’t express it better than that. It was such a thrill.
Now, there’s a lot of chatter online about Harrison Ford’s "Thunderbolt" Ross being the MCU’s next President and, if that is indeed the case, how do you feel about passing the baton to him?
[Laughs] That’s bad news! No, I don’t know what anybody’s intent is, but I couldn’t ask for more. I’m so fulfilled and thrilled to have been in Secret Invasion. I have no concept of whether Ritson survives or lives on or continues in the storyline. It would be a thrill, of course, but if I have to lose the next election to one American, and it has to be Harrison Ford, I guess that’s fair enough. That’s okay [Laughs]. There’s nothing about two terms…I can be his Vice President! I can have two terms of Vice President under President Harrison Ford.
This isn’t a character who you can go and delve into the comic books to research, so did Marvel Studios help steer you in the right direction in terms of being able to figure out who this guy is after he was mentioned in movies like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, for example?
I only found out later that he’d been mentioned in Black Panther. I didn’t know that he was an existing storyline character. Maybe it was just the thrill of being cast as the President for this storyline which was enough. It continues to intrigue and I don’t know if all these questions are going to be answered in Secret Invasion and that leaves you with the wonderful sensation of being dissatisfied and remaining curious. There’s so little curiosity left in the world and so little things you get to think and wonder about without getting an answer on your phone. If that’s part of this show, I’m happy. It’s good for the brain to wonder and wait a whole week to find out what happens. We used to do that all the time so it’s wonderful to see shows released this way and it makes it fun to watch. It’s been that way for my family, so I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of it.
Secret Invasion is now streaming on Disney+. The fifth episode premieres this Wednesday, July 19!