1 of 6 | Dermot Mulroney, seen at the 2023 premiere of “Anyone But You” in New York City, stars in “Long Shadows.” File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Actor Dermot Mulroney and director William Shockley say their movie Long Shadows, in theaters Friday, harkens back to westerns they made in their earlier careers.
In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, Mulroney shared how the Tucson, Ariz., set of Long Shadows reminded him of his 1988 film Young Guns, which he filmed in New Mexico. Mulroney, 62, said he has since perfected his gunslinging and horsemanship.
As Long Shadows shows, Mulroney can pull the trigger after a draw and then fan the hammer twice more as his character, veteran gunslinger Dallas Garrett.
“That’s the fastest way to peel off three shots,” Mulroney said. “You draw one and you fan the other two. Even that was great to construct that moment, try to honor westerns in how that’s captured on film.”
Long Shadows is Shockley’s first feature film as a director following the 2017 short Common Threads. As an actor, he appeared on Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman for six seasons as saloon/brother owner Hank Lawson.
“120 episodes on Dr. Quinn taught me a lot,” Shockley, 62, said. “I learned a lot in six and 1/2 years with watching really interesting directors and great actors and great guest stars, riding a horse and dealing with a gun. The storytelling kind of seeped into my blood on that level.”
The story of ‘Long Shadows’
In Long Shadows, Marcus Dollar (Blaine Maye) returns to his family’s ranch to find Dallas purchased the property after the Dollar family was killed. Marcus seeks revenge, despite Dallas trying to teach him that committing violence will be even worse for him in the long run.
“I call Dallas a mentor,” Shockley said. “Young people do tend to defy wisdom. Let’s face it. I know I did.”
Mulroney agreed, though fortunately does not feel he made any major mistakes as a young man.
“Of course you look back,” Mulroney said. “For me, how could I possibly have any regrets? I don’t bother but gosh, what I wish I knew then.”
The names Marcus Dollar and Dallas Garrett sound as western as they come. Shockley credited screenwriter Shelley Reid with creating those.
Shockley joined Reid for revisions, with Grainger Hines, who also plays the sheriff in the film. The film also stars Jacqueline Bissett, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Chris Mulkey, Dominic Monaghan and Sarah Cortez.
“Dallas Garett was such a cool character so it needed a cool name,” Shockley said. “Grainger’s like, ‘I wanna be Wesley Tibbs.’ So it was just an evolution.”
Shockley began writing while starring on Dr. Quinn. His first produced screenplay was 2014’s Welcome to Paradise.
“We have a lot of time in our trailers sitting around going, ‘Oh, what else is going on in the world?'” Shockley said. “I had the gift to study so many directors over 120 episodes. I worked with some great film directors like Paul Verhoeven, etc. So I’d always been a student of the game. Fortunately I was given the opportunity to direct this film.”
‘Robocop’ and ‘Showgirls’ villains
Verhoeven previously cast Shockley as a rapist in two movies: in Robocop, his attempted crime is foiled by a cyborg police officer, while in Showgirls, Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley) makes singer Andrew Carver (Shockley) pay for assaulting her friend.
“Paul got my privates shot off in Robocop and made me a rapist rock star in Showgirls,” Shockley said, adding that because of those roles he is “hated for eternity.”
Shockley agreed, however, that it was his job to make those characters despicable. He has also enjoyed seeing the opinions change about Showgirls, which was a box office disappointment and critical whipping boy in 1995.
“I went to the premiere of Showgirls and it was a different reaction when it came out,” Shockley said. “Now it’s a cult classic for whatever the reason.”
Mulroney remembers Diane Keaton and discusses his cello music
Mulroney also had occasion to reflect on earlier roles besides his westerns, such as playing Diane Keaton’s son in the 2005 romantic comedy The Family Stone.
In that film, Mulroney plays a character who brings his fiance (Sarah Jessica Parker) home for what will likely be his mother’s last Christmas, as she is dying of breast cancer. When the real-life Keaton died Oct. 11, he reminisced about sharing a scene with her in the film where their characters grieve while she is still alive.
“Life takes on what art depicted,” Mulroney said. “That I felt like was a gift to have been in a scene about death with her.”
The Family Stone also launched Mulroney’s other career as a cellist for film scores. Michael Giacchino scored The Family Stone and Mulroney seized the opportunity; he has since played cello in Giacchino’s orchestra.
“I said, ‘I think you should have me into your orchestra,'” Mulroney recalled. “He said, ‘Well, you need to be able to sight read,’ and I said, ‘Well, I think you should have me into your orchestra.'”
Shockley regretted not asking Mulroney to play on the theme song for Long Shadows. Shockley wrote the title song and said his experience in music goes back even further than his writing or acting.
“I was the kid sitting on the street corner under a street lamp at night playing my acoustic and just making friends when I was a little kid,” Shockley said. “Always had a guitar around, piano so yeah, it’s always been a love of mine.”
