The Big Picture

Tony Shalhoub has expressed that it was a lot of fun to reunite with the cast of Monk for the movie and that everyone was enthusiastic and committed to the project. The response to the public service announcement for Peacock, featuring the character of Monk, inspired the writer and network to start discussing a movie. Shalhoub wanted the movie to be elevated and heightened, not just another episode, and felt confident in the creative team’s ability to move the needle and create something compelling.

In the Peacock original Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie, Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) finds himself wrapped up in a case that hits close to home. With the gang – including Natalie (Traylor Howard), Randy (Jason Gray-Stanford) and Leland (Ted Levine) – back together for his stepdaughter Molly’s (Caitlin McGee) wedding, Monk is drawn out of the dark place he’s been in since the start of the pandemic, in order to help someone important to him in the way that only he can.

During this chat with Collider, Shalhoub reflected on how he felt about where they left things with the original series 14 years ago, needing to raise the stakes for this movie, getting the cast back together, having fun with physical comedy, what James Purefoy added to the mix, and the fact that he’d be interested in reprising the role again. He also talked about how he likes to find projects that push him a bit out of his range and that provide a bit of mystery.

Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie Release Date December 8, 2023 Director Randy Zisk Genres Comedy , Crime Writers Andy Breckman

Collider: It was so much fun to get to live with these characters again. I can’t imagine what the experience must have been like for you.

TONY SHALHOUB: It was a lot of fun. There were challenges, of course, but it was because it’s such a big story. The scope of the movie is bigger in size than what we were able to do in the episodes, but it was really joyous getting everyone back together.

Image via Peacock

Shalhoub Wanted ‘Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie’ to Raise the Stakes
Not only did people, including me, love Monk when it originally aired, but they’ve continued to remember it fondly since then, which is not always the case for a show. Is he a character that’s also always held a special place in your heart? Was he someone that you hoped you would get the opportunity to revisit in some way?

SHALHOUB: I didn’t really think about that so much. I felt, because we did 125 episodes during those eight seasons, it was of a time and we accomplished what we set out to do. We exhausted everything there was to write about these characters and all the different mysteries and cases. So, it wasn’t really something that I was holding out hope to do. I also got preoccupied with other projects and theater things that I did, over the years. Of course, there was five years of Maisel and independent films, and things like that. I was busy enough not to be pining for Monk. Then, once the pandemic hit, we just felt like we had a compelling reason to revisit the character. Where would that character, and where would all these characters be, having gone through that?

I find it particularly funny that COVID in real life led people to wonder about and question how a fictional character might fare. Were you surprised that so many people were curious about what might have come of him in the pandemic, or did it seem logical to you that people wondered what happened to Adrian Monk during COVID?

SHALHOUB: We did a public service announcement at that time for Peacock, just with the character of Monk talking about it, and then the other characters were on a Zoom call weighing in. I was stunned at the response to this public service announcement because 10 or 11 years had gone by, but people were jazzed to see these characters again. That inspired the writer and the network to start talking about a movie.

When you go out with a series finale that breaks the record for the most watched episodic drama at the time of its airing, did that make you nervous about whether the audience would return?

SHALHOUB: That was part of our discussion when Andy Breckman, the writer, first approached us with his pitch and his treatment, which was very, very strong. But we all agreed that we ended on such a high back in ’09 and we were very proud of the two-part finale and certainly the viewership was enormous, and I wanted to make sure that we weren’t going to undercut that. If we were going to revisit this, we had to outdo what we did. There’s no other reason to do it. I didn’t want to do just another episode, or something like that. I wanted to do something that was elevated and heightened, really, and I feel like we did that. Once Andy showed us the premise, I understood that the stakes were gonna be higher. You never know if things are going to work until they’re out there. You can put your best foot forward and sometimes it just doesn’t fly. But we had confidence in the creative team and we wanted to make sure that we were moving the needle. Once we got into it, we felt like we had a good shot.

Image via Peacock

The Cast Was Interested In and Enthusiastic About Returning to Their Roles
I love how it so effortlessly brings all the characters back and found a way to work everyone in. Trudy is back. Monk’s therapy sessions are back. What was it like to get everybody back together?

SHALHOUB: We were lucky, everybody was available and interested, and not just interested, but really enthusiastic and committed. It’s a tribute to the writers because they served each one of these characters, including the guest stars, so beautifully. They gave a nod to where everybody had been for 14 years and how their lives had changed in that time period, and everybody got good stuff to play. Once we put out our casting for the guest stars, it was so easy. We got so many people auditioning or accepting offers if they didn’t audition. Everybody wanted to have a piece of it. It was really gratifying.

I loved getting to see you in the hazmat suit in the flashback scene. How long do you think Monk stayed in that hazmat suit? Do you think he basically just lived in it until they had to pry him out of it?

SHALHOUB: I do. We had done a hazmat suit, if I remember correctly, back in the day. It was either a promo commercial or a reshoot. I seem to have a memory of me in a hazmat suit briefly, not in an episode of the show, but in a promotional venue. But I just love the idea that all his fears and phobias spiked in that moment.

He’s certainly not making anything easy on his old friends and associates, once they all reunite. He definitely guilts them a little bit. What did you enjoy about getting to find those relationships again?

SHALHOUB: We had a blast. It was like a family reunion, in a way. We made each other laugh and we socialized outside of shooting when we had time off. We would go grab dinner together and hang out. The cool thing was that we shot the first season of Monk in Toronto, so there we were full circle, back in Toronto going to the restaurants that we loved and remembered, and all the old haunts. It was just a perfect few weeks, all together.

Image via Peacock

Even Shalhoub’s Wife Returned, Having Played A Few Characters During the Series Run
I love the small physical comedy moments, like when you’re sitting in the chair with the lever in the office and you’re going up and down. How hard is it to figure out the rhythm of something like that? Are all those moments scripted? Are there things that you just try to find on the day, once you’re in the environment?

SHALHOUB: Andy did write that the chair would go up and down, but we played within that. First of all, we had to find the right chair. I think props actually ended up having to make that chair because it was hard to find the right look that went high enough and low enough, and all that, so it was a bit of a hybrid, that chair. But once we got in the room, we took the time to rehearse, to find out where it works and where it’s too much and where it’s not enough. And what I loved about that scene was that my wife, Brooke Adams, who plays the publisher, was in it. Brooke had done probably five different characters on different episodes of Monk throughout the eight years, so it was perfect that she was back for another full circle moment, bringing it all back around and yet playing a new character.

Rick Eden is an interesting foe for Monk because Monk isn’t at all phased by flashy and egotistical billionaires, and somebody like that will always underestimate someone like Monk. What did you enjoy about that character and how he fit into everything? What was it like to have James Purefoy to play off of?

SHALHOUB: We were so lucky to get James. He really did bring so much to it. And you’re right, Monk doesn’t get all jazzed about celebrity. What I thought was really, really interesting, and a lot of it had to do with the way James played it, because he was quirky and playful and had a great ironic sense of humor, Monk is not 100% convinced that he is really the guy. That’s a really interesting twist that the writers laced through the whole thing. Part of him feels like, “Yeah, he’s a likely suspect, but do I think he’s the guy just because Molly thinks he’s the guy?” Am I just trying to placate her? Am I really convinced? Do I really care?” He’s in such difficult state of mind and he’s not very secure in his own thinking or his own instincts, and what James does plays into that because he’s so guileless.

When you’re playing a very particular character with very specific behaviors like Monk, does it make it easier to find him again or does that make it more challenging? What was the first day back on set as Monk like?

SHALHOUB: The first day was interesting because, yes, it’s the same character, but he’s 14 years older and he’s 14 years more evolved, or in Monk’s case, less evolved because of the pandemic. He’s been knocked back on his heels yet again and he’s in a very dark place. You can rely on things you did or things you know about the character, but the real challenge is, what is different about him and how has this character changed? And then, how do we reconcile all of that?

Image via Peacock

Hopefully, This Won’t Be the End of Monk
This movie is titled Mr. Monk’s Last Case, but please tell me it’s not really his literal last case. The end of the series wasn’t the actual end, so this isn’t actually the last case, is it?

SHALHOUB: I wish I had the answer for that. If only it were up to me.

Your creator has said that he has an idea for a sequel.

SHALHOUB: Oh, good! I need to talk to him. I’d like to get a peek.

You said you weren’t sitting around thinking about returning to this character, but now that you have, is that something you would like to do again? Would you like to do another movie?

SHALHOUB: I could be talked into that. The thing is, we have to wait to see how it lands out there. It’s all about the timing and whether people find it enough like, but also enough unlike the episodes that we did, and different enough to make it compelling. That all just remains to be seen.

Mystery and Bewilderment Are Two Things That Shalhoub Looks For In A Project
Do you know what you’re going to be doing next? Are you shooting something in the new year that you have lined up?

SHALHOUB: Not that I know of. What have you heard?

I just love your work, so I was only asking.

SHALHOUB: Because of the strike, that put things on hold. So, to be honest, I don’t really have anything definite that I’m lined up to do. There are some things in the pipeline.

What is it then that you look for in a project? Is it the character on the page? Is it about who you’ll be working with? Is it just a gut reaction?

SHALHOUB: It’s all of that, but mostly I look for challenge, something that is a bit different from what I’ve done, and also something that I haven’t fully wrapped my brain around upon first or second reading. I want to do something that has some mystery to it, and even a bit of bewilderment to it that creates a challenge with the puzzle of it, and something that seems slightly out of my range. Those are the things I want to gravitate toward now.

Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie is available to stream at Peacock.

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