Final Season Monk Obsessions with Tony Shalhoub by Troy Rogers
After
eight seasons, Tony Shalhoub will be saying goodbye
to his Monk character forever when the season
finale of Monk airs on December 4 on USA. Although
Monk has given fans quirky, private eye comedy
and drama for eight seasons, the Monk character
has also helped shed light on the condition of
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), which now
has been demystified in the mainstream thanks
in some special way to Tony Shalhoub and the creators
of Monk.
With Monk bidding fans farewell for a final time in slightly under two months, and special guest star Bitty Schram returning to her role as Sharona in the Friday, October 23 episode, "Mr. Monk and Sharona," we spent a few minutes with Tony Shalhoub to talk the final season of Monk, how he feels about Monk after so many years, and whether Tony Shalhoub feels he's had an impact on the OCD community with his memorable character.
THE DEADBOLT: When you look at Monk now, what feelings do you have for the character as compared to day one?
TONY SHALHOUB: Well, day one I had no idea what I was doing. And I didn't really have an understanding of where the writers or where I was going to take this character, how it was going to evolve. But now of course, having done 124 episodes, I was really really gratified to see that we made this character really multifaceted and full of contradictions and I think pretty well rounded. So, as an actor, that is something you always look for.
THE DEADBOLT: Is it easier or more difficult going into a season knowing it's the last?
SHALHOUB:
It's both. You know, it sort of alternates back
and forth. On the one hand, it's easier because
you understand that there's going to be resolution
and there's going to be a finish line, an end
point. And then on the other hand it just becomes
such a family and you're going to miss these
people and these relationships, a sort of collective
creative energy.
THE DEADBOLT: Do you have a sense that you made an impact in the OCD community?
SHALHOUB: You know, based on mail that
we received from people who suffer from this
disorder, and from various other people in academia,
"impact" is kind of a big word. But I definitely
think it's a positive character and maybe even
in some ways Monk has become a poster boy for
those who suffer. But the feedback has all been
so positive. I hope that it's some effect in
maybe demystifying the disorder and allowing
people to see it as something not as a completely
debilitating mental illness that this character
suffers, but can still do his job well and can
still contribute and is sort of a contributing
member of society. I hope that people can see
other sufferers in that same way.
THE DEADBOLT: What has Monk taught you on a personal level?
SHALHOUB: I guess it's made me a little bit more - You know, I tend to take my time with examining things. I feel it's made me somewhat more observant and less quick to jump to conclusions or to make snap judgements. It's kind of slowed down my processes in that way, just allowing me kind of pour over something for longer periods, and I think that seems to have been helpful.
After
eight seasons, Tony Shalhoub will be saying goodbye
to his Monk character forever when the season
finale of Monk airs on December 4 on USA. Although
Monk has given fans quirky, private eye comedy
and drama for eight seasons, the Monk character
has also helped shed light on the condition of
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), which now
has been demystified in the mainstream thanks
in some special way to Tony Shalhoub and the creators
of Monk.
SHALHOUB:
It's both. You know, it sort of alternates back
and forth. On the one hand, it's easier because
you understand that there's going to be resolution
and there's going to be a finish line, an end
point. And then on the other hand it just becomes
such a family and you're going to miss these
people and these relationships, a sort of collective
creative energy.