Tony Shalhoub interview: ‘Mr. Monk’s Last Case’
“We ended on such a high note, we were very proud of the final two episodes and how the series wrapped up,” reflects Tony Shalhoub on the emotions that were involved in revisiting a character he had bid farewell to so perfectly 15 years ago. For eight seasons, the Emmy Award winner portrayed detective Adrian Monk on the series “Monk,” a character who returns in the Peacock original film “Mr. Monk’s Last Case.” The star – who also serves as executive producer – says the whole team wanted to “match that or outdo what we did at the end” of the show, which felt like a “daunting proposition.” Watch our exclusive video interview.
Shalhoub makes his return to the role look effortless, but it was important to the actor that he not play the character exactly as he had when he bid the detective farewell in 2009. He says that he and the rest of the creative team “see life a little bit differently at this age,” and he wanted Monk and the other characters to “evolve.” “Our watchword was we wanted to be the same but different,” emphasizes the performer, noting the effect that the pandemic and his coworkers moving away had on Monk, who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder.
WATCH our exclusive video interview with Elliott Eisman, ‘Mr. Monk’s Last Case’ editor
While “Mr. Monk’s Last Case” does retain the trademark wit and sensibility of the original series, it also offers viewers something different: Monk is in a darker mental space than ever before as he is seriously contemplating taking his own life. “When Andy [Breckman] first approached us and pitched that idea, everyone was kind of knocked for a loop,” recalls Shalhoub. He remembers being quickly persuaded by Breckman’s reference to the classic 1946 film “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which is a “life-affirming, feel-good movie which actually starts with a guy contemplating that very thing.” The executive producer thus felt assured that “it was the right idea,” especially because he believed that “we’ve got to raise the stakes here, it’s got to be a different landscape” than the original show.
Monk also suffers a personal tragedy in the movie as his late wife’s daughter Molly’s fiancé is murdered. The coincidence of both Monk and Molly’s significant others being killed “definitely cements that relationship,” thinks Shalhoub. Between the series finale in 2009 and the film, Molly has “been a great support system for him,” especially during the pandemic. “When she loses her fiancé, it’s Shakespearean in a way, it’s kind of that almost inevitable tragedy that Monk just lives with, just walks next to him and always has, and he tries to be as empathetic and as supportive of her, but that’s challenging because of his state of mind.”
WATCH our exclusive video interview with Randy Zisk, ‘Mr. Monk’s Last Case’
“Mr. Monk’s Last Case” reunited much of the series’ original cast, including Monk’s assistant Natalie (Traylor Howard), Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford), his late wife Trudy (Melora Hardin) and Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine). Shalhoub reveals, “We were all very hot to do this again,” but he notes Levine “seemed to be the one that was champing at the bit the most.” He characterizes their Monk and Stottlemeyer’s relationship as “so complex and so multilayered.” The film also enticed Hector Elizondo out of retirement to reprise his role as Monk’s therapist Dr. Bell. The Emmy winner remembers he and the other executive producers imploring the actor to return and says, “I was really, really touched when we sat down in that office again.” One of their two scenes is a highlight of the film, in which Bell, suspecting Monk may be at a breaking point, emphasizes how important and beloved he is as they both break down in tears.
Although the movie is deeply moving, it is also hilarious, in keeping with the tone of the original show. Shalhoub relishes the opportunities he has to fully embrace the physical comedy of the role. As he describes of the creative process, “I just get to play, and they sort of allot a certain amount of time for us to explore what all those possibilities are,” calling that opportunity “a luxury.” Members of the creative team have expressed an interest in doing future “Monk” movies, and the Tony-winning actor says that if they are given the chance, he hopes to see Monk “grow” and “take certain kinds of leaps, certain kinds of risks.” At the same time, the performer hopes Monk “stays on the rollercoaster, he takes two steps forward and five steps backwards,” because it is in his “neuroses” where he finds the comedic “juice.”
