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In Netflix's newly released cybersecurity thriller, Robert De Niro plays the role of George Mullen. In Zero Day, George Mullen is portrayed as a retired U.S. president who is called in for help after a nationwide cyber attack. Interestingly, this marks the TV series debut for the two-time Academy Award winner, Robert De Niro.
Created by Noah Oppenheim, Eric Newman, and Michael Schmidt, the Netflix series has six episodes, which premiered on February 20, 2025. Apart from Robert De Niro, other cast members are Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, Connie Britton, Joan Allen, Angela Bassett, and Dan Stevens.
As the case unfolds and the investigation continues, George Mullen finds himself in political chaos. Not just professionally, he also faces threats from his complicated past. Can he emerge as a hero? Or is he trapped in a system that he can no longer control? Let's explore his character.
George Mullen accepts his role in the Zero Day Commission
George Mullen accepted his role in the Zero Day Commission not to satisfy his urges. After his son Nick's death from a drug overdose, he was living his retired life and dealing with the grief away from the hustle and bustle of his political career. However, when a cyberattack killed thousands in the country in just a minute and millions were affected by the rapidly increasing malware attack, he was called back by the current President Evelyn Mitchell (Angela Bassett).
Even though Mullen was initially reluctant to take up the role, he accepted it due to his sense of responsibility.
How does George Mullen uncover the truth behind the cyberattack in Zero Day?
The investigation into the cyberattack becomes more complicated than what Mullen anticipated. Initially, Mullen and his team thought it was some Russian attackers or extremist groups. However, as Mullen's investigation unfolded, he found out key political figures such as his daughter Alexandra were involved in the attack.
His journey to unravel the truth was a rollercoaster ride filled with misguidance and false leads that set him back. One of his obstacles throughout the series remains Speaker of the House, Richard Dreyer. Dreyer often tried to make President Mitchell aware of Mullen's inefficiency in the investigation. He tries to remove Mullen from the head of the commission position in all ways possible even arranging a committee to usurp his position.
A significant breakthrough in the case came through Roger Carlson, Mullen's right hand in the committee. Carlson arranges and cracks the critical communication methods used by the conspirators. However, he is killed in Episode 4 and his death was staged as a suicide. The autopsy report showed otherwise. George Mullen finds a letter with the words written 'Boss' addressed to him by Carlson.
Soon he realizes the involvement of Monica Kidder, a tech mogul, and Robert Lyndon, a rich financier responsible for the malware attack. Upon investigation, it was also found out that the attack was based on a government weapon, Proteus, which was modified by Kidder's company. The main conspirators Dreyer and Mullen's daughter Alex wanted the malware to destablize the country for their selfish political motives.
Mullen poses as Lyndon to trick the attackers into revealing their identities. After the code is cracked by the cryptographers it is discovered that Leon, a programmer helped develop the malware. His daughter Alexandra or Alex knew about it and ultimately confessed to the truth.
In a dramatic press release, Mullen reveals the entire conspiracy, including the involvement of key political figures like Dreyer, his daughter Alex, and tech mogul Kidder. The revelation leads to the arrest of his daughter and others who were related to the conspiracy. Thus Mullen was successful in exposing the corruption that was hiding behind the veil of politics.
Throughout the series, he had blurry flashbacks of his son Nick and a journalist both of whom were dead. He also had some secrets like an extramarital affair with Valerie Whitesell and a 12-year-old daughter Lily, these things kept haunting his memories causing less concentration in the case. However, after the revelation of the conspirators across the press, he felt light-hearted. Even though he started as a disillusioned and struggling individual in the series, he learned to embrace vulnerability which led him to his redemption.
About Robert De Niro
Born on August 17, 1943, Robert De Niro is a popular American actor and producer who has ruled Hollywood for over five decades. He is the recipient of several awards including a Golden Globe, eight BAFTAs, four Emmys, and two Academy Awards.
He is renowned for his iconic roles in Taxi Driver, The Godfather Part II, and Raging Bulls, to name a few. His collaboration with director Martin Scorsese is iconic as well the duo has made ten feature films and a short one. Robert De Niro has also co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival.
Read More:
1. What happened to Roger in Zero Day? Character's fate in the Robert De Niro thriller, explored
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