In fact, I met Tony right before he started the show. He called me from the first set for MONK to arrange an interview (which can be read on the ReelTalk site under the title “Tony Shalhoub Is Mr. Versatility.”)
My husband and I had met Shalhoub and his wife Brooke Adams at aTaos film festival where their wonderful MADE-UP movie was premiering.
Tony Shalhoub, an actor grand.
So glad I got to shake his hand.
Even before MONK came to be
his talent appeared clear to me.
Director, one star of MADE-UP,
Shalhoub shined like no comic pup.
Then MONK appealed to him for fun.
Who knew how long on TV run?
But it’s not gone. MONK now comes back.
Netflix has picked it up, no slack!
Fans can enjoy the OCD
detective who’s so dear to me.
Why did MONK become so popular? Adrian Monk has many problems. OCD is only one of them. He also has germ phobia. And he’s mourning the death of his wife who was killed by a bomb years ago. But Monk still sees important clues that no one else can in each case. Shalhoub pulls all of these characteristics together to give us Monk in a humanistic manner melded with considerable humor. For many of us with OCD, it’s easy to identify with Monk because of the way Shalhoub portrays this intriguing character.
Thanks also to director Andy Breckman and supporting actors like Ted Levine as the strict Captain Stottlemeyer who doesn’t want to hire Monk back to the San Francisco police department -- but over uses him as a consultant.
In my telephone interview mentioned above, Shalhoub explained, “I play Adrian Monk, a detective with a serious obsessive-compulsive disorder. And I’m really getting into this character. I fear Monk is more like me than I care to admit."
Tony Shalhoub played MONK on TV for eight years and won many awards for this performance including those listed below.
Primetime Emmy
Golden Globes
SAG Awards
Family TV Awards
It’s important to add that Tony Shalhoub has kept showing his acting chops after MONK. I believe he is now one of our showbiz treasures.
I try to do other characters that are different from Monk, obviously, because I’d like to be remembered for more than just that. --- Tony Shalhoub
Unfortunately though, I have followed Ian Fleming's 007 over the years largely because of the futuristic gadgets and stunts employed where the hero in service of his Queen dodges bullets with ease while dispatching many adversaries with a single shot, wooing all kinds of beautiful, treacherous women along the way as he defies physical conditions that would easily kill like falling great distances and landing on his feet without a scratch.
Last night, I finally watched No Time to Die, and found it much more of the same, impossiblee chase scenes and explosions, with a rather confusing, diabolical plot. Where finally, Bond, who is now retired, allowing some socially acceptable diversity in the ranks (a black woman) 007) finally becomes human and dies. Because the actor, James Craig, while he enjoys the money, hates the part in a lame action movie one more time that has worn out its original appeal.
Ron