Dermot Mulroney very politely walked off The View to show support for the writers' strike

In what may be the least explosive act of protest in the long, frequently fractious history of ABC’s The View, actor Dermot Mulrony apparently walked off the set of the show mid-interview today—after giving polite and respectful notice that he was about to do so, and coming back for photos in the aftermath of his departure.

This is per Variety, which reports that, in the midst of an interview with the panel of the ABC talk series, Mulroney asked if the show was getting close to a commercial break, and then genteelly informed them he’d be walking out before said break, as a show of solidarity for the ongoing writers’ strike. Co-host Joy Behar then returned the courteous behavior, gamely plugging Mulroney’s Secret Invasion, despite his sudden absence. Then, apparently, Mulroney came back after the cameras has stopped rolling to take pictures with the show’s cast and crew. It really was the most damn considerate act of disruptive protest we think we’ve ever heard of.

Although The View mostly runs live, Friday episodes are pre-taped; Mulroney’s segment, in which he announced that he was going to “symbolically walk off in support of the writers,” will apparently air tomorrow, exactly as filmed. And, again, we’re partially just shocked to see this going down on The View, which, by dint of being a largely unscripted conversation between its various hosts, has never shied away from controversy or conflict.

Mulroney plays the U.S. president in Secret Invasion, which stars Samuel L. Jackson as he tries to figure out what the hell’s been going on with this Skrull plotline that’s been running in the background of the MCU for the last four years. His show of support for the Writers Guild Of America comes as the WGA strike moves into its 7th week.