Dermot Mulroney on death of ‘Family Stone’ star Diane Keaton…
Dermot Mulroney is remembering the late Diane Keaton, who performed his onscreen mother in 2005’s “The Family Stone.”
Keaton died in Los Angeles on Oct. 11 at the age of 79. Her trigger of death was later revealed to be pneumonia.
“It broke us all up,” Mulroney, 62, completely told The Post while selling his new western “Long Shadows.”
“I had lunch with Tom Bezucha, the director of ‘The Family Stone,’ the week before. So we spoke so much about Diane,” he recalled. “Even then, I didn’t know that she was going to go so soon. She’d just been on my lips a few days before. So it really impacted me. And I was in touch with him and a few other people around that film.”
Dermot Mulroney during “The Jennifer Hudson Show” in Burbank, California, on April 1, 2025. Getty Images
Diane Keaton at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on Aug. 11, 2022. Getty Images
Sarah Jessica Parker, Mulroney, Craig T. Nelson, Keaton and Rachel McAdams in “The Family Stone.” ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
Brian White, Savannah Stehlin, Ty Giordano, Parker, Mulroney, Elizabeth Reaser, Keaton, Nelson and McAdams in “The Family Stone.” ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
Released in 2005, “The Family Stone” featured an ensemble solid made up of Keaton (Sybil Stone), Mulroney (Everett Stone), Craig T. Nelson (Kelly Stone), Luke Wilson (Ben Stone), Elizabeth Reaser (Susannah Stone), Claire Danes (Julie Morton), Tyrone Giordano (Thad Stone), Rachel McAdams (Amy Stone), Brian White (Patrick Thomas) and Paul Schneider (Brad Stevenson).
The Christmas comedy-drama begins with Everett bringing his uptight girlfriend, Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker), dwelling to spend the vacation along with his household.
Several disastrous incidents ensue, and the film culminates with Keaton’s matriarchal character revealing that her battle with breast cancer has returned.
Parker and Mulroney at the starting of “The Family Stone.” ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
One of the movie’s most emotional scenes facilities on Keaton’s Sibyl telling Mulroney’s Everett that she is sick again. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selected to make use of that second of their Instagram submit to pay tribute to the “Annie Hall” star following her death last month.
“The scene that day, of Everett Stone and her in that scene where I learned that she’s ill again, that actually was really devastating to see,” the “Anyone But You” star told The Post. “Can you imagine the combination of having worked that closely with her to perform that scene as best as I ever could?”
Keaton was initially “pretty serious” on the set of “The Family Stone” before the solid managed to loosen her up behind-the-scenes.
McAdams, Keaton and Parker in “The Family Stone.” ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
Keaton during New York Fashion Week in New York City on Sept. 8, 2023. WWD by way of Getty Images
Mulroney attends an event hosted by Variety in Hollywood, California, on Aug. 10, 2023. Getty Images
“Diane went through a warming-up process,” he said. “People aren’t sure how strict they’re going to be or what the vibe is.”
“About halfway through the movie, of course, she was goofing around,” Mulroney continued. “We brought her down to our level. So by the time we got to the epic, iconic foot in the mouth of the century scene, at the dining room table, we were all just in awe of each other.”
While Mulroney praised all of his “The Family Stone” co-stars, he acknowledged that Keaton was the glue that held the solid together and actually made the film work.
“We knew that it was such a great group, perfect for these roles,” he explained. “By then, she was the leader that we embraced, rather than wondering how it was going to go.”
Parker and Mulroney in “The Family Stone.” ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
Parker, Mulroney and Keaton in “The Family Stone.” ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
“She could have fed us crumbs, and yet she gave it her all, and we all got really close,” Mulroney added of Keaton’s celebrated performance. “So it was quite an incredible process. The filming of ‘The Family Stone’ had its own lifespan in that way. So many things happened during it.”
Despite the movie’s heartbreaking plot, “The Family Stone” has change into a basic Christmas film for audiences.
For Mulroney, the film’s lasting resonance 20 years later was not initially anticipated.
“It came as a surprise that it became a perennial, annual must-watch,” he explained. “Two Christmases in the past, the [Wall Street Journal] did a prolonged article about why people have been drawn to such a wrenching film, and watched it every 12 months to make themselves cry.
Keaton and Mulroney during the premiere of “The Family Stone” at the Mann Village Theater in Westwood, California, Dec. 6, 2005. Getty Images
Director Thomas Bezucha and Keaton between takes during filming for “The Family Stone.” ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
Keaton, Giordano, Claire Danes, Nelson and Mulroney in “The Family Stone.” ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
“So that’s to say it’s such a powerful movie and means so much to people and families,” he added.
As for whether or not there have been any talks about a doable “Family Stone” sequel, Mulroney revealed that there have been – although he remained tight-lipped about any further particulars.
“Is there any discussion about making a follow-up? Yes,” he concluded. “That’ll be the answer that I leave as brief.”
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