Dermot Mulroney Knows Why He 'Didn't Work for a Year' After “My Best Friend's Wedding”

The actor recently returned to the spotlight after appearing as Sydney Sweeney's dad in 'Anyone But You'

Dermot Mulroney has a few guesses as to why he struggled to find work after he starred in My Best Friend's Wedding.

In an interview with the New York Times on April 23, the actor, 60, spoke about his role in the now-iconic 1997 rom-com alongside Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz — and why he didn't score another role for a year after the film released.

"I was sitting there ready for the gift with purchase that was supposed to come along with being in a popular movie, and instead, I probably didn't work for a year," Mulroney told the outlet. "I chalked it up to me being so tiny on the poster, the little guy on the cake. I thought, 'Gosh, you guys, if you'd made me a little bigger, maybe I could have gotten a job.' "

In the classic film, Mulroney plays Michael, the suave, childhood best friend of food critic Roberts' Jules. Although Jules still harbors a crush on Michael after many years, he shows up engaged to 20-something billionaire Kimmy (Diaz), and she hatches a plan to get him back.

Jules' attempts to thwart the wedding are unsuccessful: the film ends with Kimmy and Michael happily married, after Jules almost ruins the wedding by confessing her love to Michael, leaving her to dance with her friend George (Rupert Everett) at the reception.

Related: Cameron Diaz Talks About the Karaoke Scene That 'Traumatized' Her in 'My Best Friend's Wedding'

Despite a decline in acting opportunities following the '97 hit, Mulroney recently found rom-com success again when he starred as Sydney Sweeney's father in Anyone but You — and he offered his costar and the film's leading man Glen Powell some advice on how to avoid the post-rom-com slump.

"I didn't want him to do what I did, which was minimize how important something is that might feel a little light or a little fluff when you’re doing it," Mulroney said of Powell, 35. " 'What these movies mean to people,' I told Glen, 'will last for decades.' It will last until after you're gone in a way that maybe the other cool stuff he’s doing won't. It has a different kind of absorption."

Related: Sydney Sweeney Screened My Best Friend’s Wedding for Dermot Mulroney, Who Hadn’t Seen It Since 1997 (Exclusive)

The success of My Best Friend's Wedding has followed its stars for years — rumors of a sequel have circulated since the original came out, and both Mulroney and Roberts, 56, have said they would be onboard.

During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen back in December 2023, Roberts was asked by a viewer to pick a movie of hers of which she'd love to make a follow-up.

"That's a really good question and I've never been asked it," Roberts said, before choosing My Best Friend's Wedding.

"There's so many people in it," she said, noting she'd want "to see what they're doing and how Kimmy and Michael's marriage is going..."

Related: The Cast Of 'My Best Friend's Wedding' Reveals What Their Characters Are Doing Today

After another WWHL viewer asked Roberts who she thought Michael should have chosen, Roberts answered without hesitation: "Well, I mean, of course, Jules. But he married Kimmy!"

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

And the movie leading man said that he would be ready and willing to return, too — at the premiere of Anyone But You back in December, just after Roberts appeared on WWHL, Mulroney told Entertainment Tonight he's also down for a second film.

"Yeah, no, I'm in!" Mulroney told the outlet. "I'm thrilled to hear Julia's finally, you know, coming to her senses."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.