The Big Picture

Magnum P.I.’s Perdita Weeks is happy with how the series ends, saying it’s a satisfying conclusion with a lot of resolution for all characters. Weeks decided she wanted to direct an episode after co-star Jay Hernandez, who has directed episodes himself, encouraged her and offered support. Weeks was nervous about the opening sequence of her episode and had to overcome logistical challenges during filming.

For five seasons, Perdita Weeks has played Juliet Higgins on Magnum P.I., a show that, thanks to a devoted fan base, made the rare move of switching networks and getting to finish out its run at NBC before finally bidding farewell with its series finale in January 2024. Before that happens, Weeks got the opportunity to take on an episode as director, following in the footsteps of co-stars Jay Hernandez (who plays Thomas Magnum) and Zachary Knighton (who plays Rick). The episode, entitled “Extracurricular Activities,” saw Magnum and Higgins get hired to investigate a University of Oahu professor accused of an inappropriate relationship with a female grad student that turned out to be so much more, and it had all the high-stakes action and heartfelt emotion that is right in the sweet spot of what the series does best.

Collider had the opportunity to chat with Weeks about making her directorial debut on a series that she’s spent five seasons on, having things come to a bittersweet but satisfying conclusion with what is now their series finale, the badass motorcycle chase she got to shoot, her favorite Magnum and Higgins scenes this season, just how challenging it was to shoot their “I love you” moment, and the scene that had to get cut when she needed to trim more than 8 minutes from her episode.

Magnum P.I. An ex-Navy SEAL returns from Afghanistan and uses his military skills to become a private investigator in Hawaii. Release Date September 24, 2018 Cast Jay Hernandez , Perdita Weeks , Zachary Knighton , Amy Hill , Tim Kang Rating TV-14 Seasons 5 Creator Eric Guggenheim, Peter M. Lenkov

Perdita Weeks Thinks the Season 5 Finale Is the Perfect Place to Leave the Series
Image via NBC

Collider: I have to say, I’m going to be very sorry to see this show go. It’s been a lot of fun to watch and it’s been great to see you guys evolve as an ensemble. While fans of the show obviously would certainly prefer for it to continue, it’s nice to know that your showrunner has said there’s a satisfying ending to the series. What was it like to find out the show wouldn’t be returning, and how do you feel about the way things ended? Is it satisfying for you?

PERDITA WEEKS: Five years is a long time to play one character. I will say, it’s very bittersweet because I love playing Juliet and, obviously, I adore my cast and all the crew. It was a really wonderful time, but I think where we left it is perfect. It’s a really, really good ending. I don’t know that you would want to see them married, bickering, and then getting divorced. There’s a lot of resolution for all the characters, not just for Magnum and Higgins. I think it’s actually a really fortunate place to end off. I told Eric [Guggenheim], the showrunner, that I don’t think it could have been any better. I’m happy with it, and I hope that the fans are, too. We were just so lucky, with their support, to come back and do another 20 episodes. It was a bonus round, which was really great. Not many people get that. It doesn’t happen that often.

When did you start thinking about wanting to direct an episode of the show and when did you actually throw your hat in the ring to do it?

WEEKS: I have to give credit where credit’s due. After Jay [Hernandez] directed, I was like, “Do you think I should? Maybe I should.” He was like, “You should absolutely do it. You can totally do it. I’ll support you. If you ask, I’ll get behind you, one hundred percent.” And he did, which was very kind of him. It was very gratifying because, obviously, we worked together a lot and his confidence in me gave me confidence in me. It was always gonna be a help to have friendly faces and a lot of love and guidance and support for one’s first directing gig. It was major. I think I asked just after we got picked up by NBC. I said, “Is there any chance that I could direct?” And Eric was kind enough, as well, and with Jay’s support said, “Yeah, go for it.” Luckily, he gave me one towards the end, so I had a long time to shadow various people and ask a lot of questions and go to a lot of meetings. I went through the high-speed directing school of Hawaii, aka Magnum P.I. It was an intensive course.

What’s it like to get the script for the episode that you’ll be directing? Do you approach reading it any differently because you know that you’re then going to be responsible for everything? Is it different when you just get the next episode that you’re acting in?

WEEKS: Good question. I would always read the script as soon as it got sent. I’d be reading it between scenes. I just wanted to know what happens. I wanna know what’s coming. And it was no different when I was directing. I read the script maybe 150 times. That first read is just excitement. I just wanted to know what was gonna happen to my character more than anything. And then, you break it down and the fun begins. But then, you don’t sleep because you’re just thinking about it all the time. You go to sleep thinking about the crane shot and the drone shot, and what all of that’s gonna look like. And you think about what color trousers you’re gonna put the boys in. And then, I was like, “What is my theme?” It was really fun. It’s a great job. It’s great work, if you can get it. I was very lucky to be given the opportunity.

Once you had that script and you knew what it was going to be, what were you most nervous about and what were you most excited about when it came to what the episode would require of you?

WEEKS: I was pretty nervous about the opening sequence because it was big. I knew it was a lot of people. Logistically, my episode was quite tricky, in that it was mainly location-based. I wasn’t worried at all about the camping stuff. I was like, “That is just lovely and sweet. It’s my buddy movie.” In actuality, that was tricky because we had so little time. We had one day on this mountain top and we couldn’t get the cameras up. It was an hour and a half after shooting call before we even rolled because, just logistically getting the crew to the top of this mountain and then the cameras, it was tricky. And the light left at 4:30. It was a scramble. Finding the right locations that would work was tough, but we got there in the end.

Perdita Weeks Was Inspired By ‘Mission: Impossible’ for Her Directorial Debut
Image via NBC

I love that in your episode, you have your own motorcycle chase.

WEEKS: Yeah, it was pretty badass. I was quite pleased with that. From the script to what was on the screen, it was a big change. It wasn’t in the script. It was an outline that was like, “There will be a motorcycle chase,” but we didn’t really know where it was gonna be. And then, I found the cultural plaza. I went walking around Chinatown. I knew I wanted them to go up steps because I thought that would be really cool. I just found this great location that decided how it would go. I sent it to the stunt coordinator and I said, “Is this possible, or is this crazy?” And he was like, “It’s completely nuts, but we’ll do it.” I was like, “Great. We need stunt riders, right?” And he was like, “You’re not doing it. I have the perfect motorcycle stunt women.” It was brilliant. They were really enthused by it. The stunt guys are so great. They love all that. The harder and trickier, the better. The girls riding the bikes were amazing. It was hard, getting up those stairs, but I think it was quite dramatic. I was going for Mission: Impossible. That was my inspiration. I don’t know if it was quite Mission: Impossible, but it was the closest I could get on network television.

This is a show that really balances action with heartfelt emotion, and this episode has a great mix of those things. How was it to make all that work, while acting in the episode, directing the episode, and putting together the final cut of the episode?

WEEKS: That is absolutely thanks to (writer) Katie [Varney]. It was an incredibly well-crafted script with really good use of all the characters. But also, there was a lot with just the guest stars, with the spy and the professor, which was really fun. That episode was such a gift. It couldn’t have been better. It flexed all the muscles and used every color in the paint box that the show is capable of. I’m definitely proud of it. It was a lot of work. Acting and directing is no mean feat. Also, as a girl, my hair and makeup takes an hour and a bit. The last thing I wanna do is be sitting in hair and makeup when the crew is setting up. I wanna be on set, looking at the shots. There was a lot of being on the phone or getting the 1st A.D. to come sit in the makeup chair or doing my makeup on set. It was just tricky. You can’t just go in with no makeup and wear jeans. That added a certain something to it. But I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Perdita Weeks Had to Cut a Magnum and Higgins Scene Because Her Episode Ran Too Long
Image via NBC

Are you someone who, when the episode was done and you saw it all together, can be proud of your work and know you made a good episode, or do you just see the flaws in it?

WEEKS: I definitely see the flaws. It was my first time. I was always gonna make mistakes. There was just no way I was getting away without them. There were certain shots that I didn’t get, that I wish I had. I know exactly what they are, and it’s so annoying. But you can’t have it all, all the time. In order to create that kind of television, there is a pace to it. My first cut was eight and a half minutes over. That’s a lot that had to come out. I loved the first cut. It was really the editor. They worked so hard and so quickly, and they did this beautiful thing. It’s definitely slimmed down. The director’s version is slightly lengthier. There are a couple of scenes that we had to get rid of, which was a real shame. There was a really nice Magnum and Higgins scene that we had to snip, sadly, but such is life.

One of the big components to this season has been getting to see Magnum and Higgins in a relationship and getting to see that dynamic evolve. What have you most enjoyed about really getting to find those moments and explore that dynamic? Have you had a particular favorite moment for the characters?

WEEKS: Actually, in Jay’s episode of this season, we had three really cool scenes that I really enjoyed, where there was quite a lot of conflict. It was when Higgins is trying to make him take his safety seriously. There was a sweetness and a vulnerability to them, but also the classic Magnum and Higgins bickering that we know and love, which is so fun to do. Those scenes really rolled off our tongues because the writers just got to know us so well. A lot of those scenes just felt like me and Jay arguing, as we do in real life. It was a weird art-imitating-life situation. So, that was fun. He’s so great to work with and so easy. It was just like really good theater. That’s what it felt like when we really got going.

Malcolm and Higgins’ “I Love You” Moment Had Endless Hurdles During Filming
Image via NBC

I loved the moment that you guys said, “I love you,” because it’s just so beautiful. It’s something that feels like only a show shot in Hawaii could have.

WEEKS: That sunset was the most spectacular. We were on this amazing secret island. It’s literally called Secret Island, overlooking Kaneohe Bay. It was so beautiful that the entire crew, most of whom live in Hawaii, had their cameras out. Even if you’ve lived there, you can’t believe how spectacular it is. It was a really hard scene to film, actually, because we had no time. The light was just going down. I think for my side, I had one take to say, “I love you.” It was quite a major scene, but it was gonna be dark, so we only had one time to do it. I was like, “I’m gonna come sit on your lap,” because it was just faster. The close-up was right there, with two heads. It was a lot of creative choreography. To be honest, the director didn’t say that [I only had one take]. They were too kind. They wouldn’t say that. But I knew because I could see the sky and knew the stars would be coming out, so we had to get on with it. And my hair was different because I didn’t have time to go back and change. I had gotten wet and I had to change in the forest because there wasn’t time to go back to base camp. That was a nutty day. Sometimes on those crazy days, you think, “What are we even doing?” It was like being in a student film. But then, it turned out really great. Hawaii does help.

Well, now all I’m going to think about is the Malcolm and Higgins scene that you had to cut from your episode because we won’t get to see that. Maybe we will somehow get to see that someday.

WEEKS: Oh, no! Maybe one day.

Magnum P.I. airs on NBC and is available to stream at Peacock. Check out the Season 5 trailer:

Watch at Peacock