“I Have My Hopes for Him”: Dermot Mulroney Is Optimistic About Pascal’s Longterm Future on ‘Chicago Fire’

Fans of Chicago Fire are not alien to shocking plot twists in the long-running procedural drama. However, very few could possibly have envisioned what the show did in Season 13, Episode 15, “Too Close.” By the time that episode had aired, Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) had suffered a huge loss with the unexpected and tragic death of his wife, Monica Pascal (KaDee Strickland). Grief is a journey and what has followed since is Chief Pascal walking that difficult path, losing a bit of control upon the realization that the individual involved in the accident that ultimately claimed his wife’s life will not be prosecuted. So, what does the future hold for the chief of Firehouse 51?

Mulroney’s Pascal joined Chicago Fire this season, after the departure of beloved former Chief, Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker), in Season 12. Boden is poised for a return soon, and this has raised some questions regarding how much longer Pascal will last in his current position. Both on and off screen, Mulroney was joining a well oiled team that have been together for a number of years. To have this tragedy rock his character’s boat might affect how long he remains captain of Firehouse 51’s ship. However, Mulroney seems confident regarding his long-term future on the show.

Speaking to Movie Web in a recent interview, Mulroney reveals, “I’m literally just riding the wave. I don’t expect any input on the character, but it’s only now about 18 episodes in that I’m even safe like thinking about how he thinks because they have written a very enigmatic character, so I can make up how he thinks, but they write something that doesn’t match that so.” He goes on to add:

“I’ve been in this weird realm, and it’s taken this long for me to kind of let the character sink in. Now, I have my hopes for him, of course. That he weathers this storm, but they sure…I don’t think it’s going to be that easy on him. So we will see how it goes. It’s really fun to not know.”

Firehouse 51 Has Got Its Chief’s Back

Since Pascal took over as Chief of Firehouse 51, he has transfromed the cultural norms of the station. One of the key changes included upholding CFD rules that prohibited two related people from working the same shift. A change that affected Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo), Kelly (Taylor Kinney), and Damon (Michael Bradway) in particular with Daman having to transfer to another firehouse. Pascal is a stickler for rules, which makes him less warm and fuzzy to be around. It’s not an easy transition, but Mulroney confirms that the members of his team will stand with him during this trying time. “It’s amazing how the tables turn and then, before you know it, they have to intervene on his behalf for a number of reasons, but emotionally too, so it’s amazing in these upcoming episodes to see how that plays out where they’ve really got his back as he’s kind of failing at the grieving process,” Mulroney reveals.

Tune in to NBC on Wednesdays to watch new episodes of Chicago Fire. Catch up on Peacock before new episodes return.