We're going to be doing video interviews the cast and writers of Monk, and we want you to supply the questions! Do you want to know what cast thinks about their characters, or what they're up to in their real lives? Have you ever noticed something in an episode that you'd like to ask the writers about? This is your chance to find out. Just reply to this post with your questions, and look for the video interviews on the website when new episodes start airing in July. Please specify the cast member your question is for, or if it's a question for the writers. And be sure to include your name and town!

P.S. Yes, we still have the questions that many of you posted several weeks ago, and we'll be using those as well.

For Jason Gray-Stanford:
What is happening with Randy this season and how would you like to see him developed in the next season (or two)?

For Traylor Howard:
Would you like to do a love scene with Jason as Randy Disher? (Evil laughter)

For Ted Levine:
Is Linda Fusco gonna be the next Mrs. Stottlemeyer?

For Tony ...
Do you hope to get an emmy this year?

Ann Peek
Salem, OR

For Tony Shalhoub

#1 I read in one article that there's a chance for season seven. Is that true?

#2 How had you feel when you start filming episode Mr. Monk and the Rapper?

For Andy Breckman

#1 Is there a chance for an episode where Adrian Monk is a criminal or at least he's a suspected for committing some crime?

#2 Do you're planing winding a two partial episode?

For Traylor Howard

Natalie Teeger is a mother, how you're feeling in this role?




Agnes
Chorzow, Poland

For the writers:

1. Do any of you ever come to this message board after a new episode airs to see how the fans reacted to it?
2. Have you ever gotten any ideas for episodes from this message board?

For Tony:

1. How often do you get a chance to go back to Green Bay and go see a Packers game?
2. Do you think your brother Michael will some day be in another Monk episode? Do you have any say-so in that decision?
3. Are you planning to be in any more plays? Any chance that you would be in one in the Chicago area? Then I could see it!

Thank you!

Amy Marrero
Madison, WI

For Ted Levine:
What "Stottlemeyer" characteristics do you personally have?

For Jason Gray-Stanford:
Do you sometimes wish your character, Randy, wasn't quite so naive? Or, do you like him the way he is?


Becky--Clifton

For Traylor Howard:

1. How do you feel Natalie has evolved since she became Monk's assistant three seasons ago?

2. We've heard you like to keep a low profile, and we respect that, but it's obvious from the postings on this board that you have quite a few fans, including some who didn't particularly like Natalie at first but have grown to love her. Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans while you have the chance?

3. There have been several "Monk" episodes now where Tony has had a reunion with one of his castmates from "Wings." How would you feel about a reunion episode with someone from "Two Guys and a Girl"?


For Stanley Kamel:

1. Which of Dr. Kroger's sessions with Adrian are your personal favorites? Were there any where you had trouble staying in character because you just wanted to burst out laughing?

2. If you had the training, do you think you would make a good therapist in real life? Why or why not?


For the Writers:

How do you respond to the assertions often posted on this board that "Monk" isn't as good as it used to be, that the mysteries aren't as clever as they were in the first few seasons, and that lately Monk has become a caricature of himself? What, if anything, would you like to do to change these perceptions?


Good luck to all of you! It's a great show!

Rick Muenchow
Bethesda, MD

Tony Shalhoub:

What's the most frustrating part about playing Adrian Monk?

Jennifer
Memphis, TN

For the writers:

I know Sherlock Holmes was the original inspiration for Monk, but to my mind he more resembles another fictional detective, Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. Is this just a coincidence or did you actually look to Poirot for inspiration?

For Tony Shalhoub:

Do you think there will be a seventh season of Monk, or do you want to move on?

Sean
Worcester, Massachusetts

First of all, thanks for the chance! Questions can be more or less momentous, but it's a really good oportunity for people to express their curiosity.

- For Tony Shalhoub:
Which is the most difficult element of Monk's personality for you to play?


Esmeralda,
Madrid, Spain.

-Traylor Howard:
1. Are there any parts of your character that you wish to be developed or explored? Perhaps the death of Natalie’s husband?



2. What kind of music does Natalie listen to?





-Emmy Clarke:
1. How would you describe the relationship between Monk and Julie?


Kate
Hesperia, CA

For the writers:

It's been a while since Monk has recieved new clues on Trudy's murder. Will there be any more clues about this in the upcoming season?

You've given Stottlemeyer a girlfriend in the upcoming season. Do you have any plans to give Randy a girlfriend as well?

Grace
Calgary, Canada

Thanks, and keep up the good work.

To Jason Gray Standford:
If you weren't an actor, what other careers would you pursue? Would you be interested in law enforcement?

To Traylor Howard:
Do you feel that being a new mother will affect or influence your tv character; specifcally the relationship between Natalie and Julie Teeger?

To Ted Levine:
What do you hope to see your character do in future monk episodes? What challenges do you wish he would face?

To Tony Shalhoub:
Can you describe a typical day on the set of Monk?
or/and
Does being a well known actor affect or change your relationship with your immediate family?

Hillary
St. Louis, Missouri

To all: Is there any actors you wished could come on the show but can't because of his/her schedule?
Who is your favorite actor who has appeared on the show?

To the writers: I just read that Harold Krenshaw will be on this season, will Ken Dorfman?

Kathy
Johnstown, PA

Hi, my question is for Tony Shalhoub:
Have you ever felt like you are in a Monk moment or mood and feel you need everything extremely perfect in order to be calm??

Amanda ,
Liverpool, England.

For: Traylor Howard*

Q: How would you like to see the character of Natalie Teeger develop over the next twenty seasons?

Lon (Og_Of_The_Jungle)
Salinas, CA
555-1212

________________
*Monk Board Regulars who are surprised by this, please raise your hands... Didn't think so...

To Tony:
If one of your close relatives, (e.g. brothers, wife, daughters,) wanted to be in an episode of Monk, would you require they go through an auditioning process or would you automatically let them be a guest star? Do any of your close relatives want to be in a future episode of Monk ( including the ones that have been a guest on the show)?

Hillary
St. Louis, Missouri

To Tony
When are you going to have your actor brother on Monk again?
He was so funny! The Radical 60s Guy that became the college professor. Your brother needs to be incorporated back into the show again. He was very funny in the Case of the Missing Grandma.

For Tony Shalhoub:

-Did Monk ever harbor thoughts of suicide at any point after losing Trudy up to the beginning of the series?

-have people ever come up to you on the street and interacted with you in ways that made it clear they thought of you actually AS Adrian Monk?

-which other television crimefighter(s) would you most like to see Monk team up with given a chance?


To the Production Staff:

-when someone comes up with an idea for an episode that takes place in an identifiable location other than San Francisco (such as the New York and Las Vegas episodes), and it gets cleared, what channels and actions do the crew need to take to arrange shooting at that location?

-what system if any is used in determining the airing order of episodes in each season?

when a story involves a recurring series character, are they developed with that character's reappearance in mind, or does the character get inserted later after the main plot's worked out?

-And on recurring characters, are there currently any plans on the table to give either Ambrose and/or Karen an episode in the forseeable future?

-is it true that only people represented by the WGA (I guess that's both East and West) can formally submit script ideas?

-on a corollary, do any of you ever read fan stories for possible ideas, or for just plain amusement?

-finally, would you take the chance of ending the series early and go out on top if the opportunity presented itself, or will the ratings and cast particpation solely dictate the show's life at this moment?

Chris,
Tamaqua, Pennsylvania

For Mr. Levine- I'm always impressed with how very chameleon like you are; each character you play is a unique individual, possesing his own unique body language, postures, way of speaking/using your voice, and mannerisms that all seem to fit together so perfectly to form that persona. Was body language and those kinds of behaviour something you leraned to mimic so flawlessly by studying (either in school or by observing other people) or is it more something that just sort of happens naturally without your thinking about it?

For Mr. Shalhoub- this is sort of connected to the question I just addressed to Mr. Levine; in The Little Monk, when Adrian and Natalie first go into the biker bar, after they establish that they will stay and talk to the brothers, was I right in thinking that you, as Adrian, were imitating Stottlemeyer in order to give off an air of confidence and give the impression that you were sure you could easily kick every ass in the room? If so, it was so spot on accurate for how Adrian would look trying to act like Stottelmeyer that it is never not funny to me.

Ms. Howard- Which job do you think is harder; being a new mom or being Monk's assistant? Also, Sabu is a very interesting name choice. It's a lovely name and more common in African, Indian, or Arabic cultures, but very uncommon here. How did you arrive at this name for your baby? And how is he doing?

Mr. Gray-Stanford- I enjoyed seeing you in the 'Sunset Blvd' video. How did that come about and do you think you'd like doing more music videos?

For any writer who wants to answer it, will we get to see Monk play pool? Because I would really like to see that.

Also for any writer- In the episode, 'The Big Reward', when Adrian first solved the case in Dr. Kroger's office, I said, 'He couldn't have solved it, there's still twenty minutes left in the episode!' and then Adrian told Dr. Kroger to just add the remaining twenty minutes to his next session- was that intentional or just a really cool coincidence?

Another for the writers- Is there a reason why some things such as book titles, bits of dialogue and props seem to be repeated? Examples would be like both Trudy and Beth Landow saying "We have to talk about this! I'm not 25 anymore,", the title of the book 'Richer Than God' in both 'Goes To Jail' and 'Vegas', and the pink and green 'Girl Tuesday' poster that can be seen on the walls of Adrian's childhood bedroom and Trudy's bedroom wall in 'Gameshow'.

All of the cast- Aside from acting, is there anything else that you enjoy doing and/or are good at, maybe as a hobby? Maybe knitting, waterskiing, or writing? And if you couldn't be an actor, what profession do you think you would be in?

Liv
Grenada,MS

To the writers:

A very dear and devoted Monk fan-- since the series started --passed away last week. Her name was Lenore (Lee) Hutton, AKA MonkFanToo on this board. She created Monkfest, a weekend in her condos in the Ozarks where fans and guests (Michael Shalhoub, namely) gathered to do and talk all things Monk. Perhaps you've read about it here?

A few fellow fans and I were hoping that some day, you might be willing to honor Lee by using her name in an episode. If ever there was a person who deserved this honor, it would be Lee. She was so devoted to the show. Everything for Monkfest came out of her pocket, it was something she did gladly, for the love of Monk. Plus, she raised quite a bit of money for the Imus Ranch for kids with cancer, through Monkfest, by silent auctions on "Monk stuff".

Thank you!

Amy Marrero
Madison, WI

QUESTION FOR WRITERS: will we be seeing monks half-brother anytime soon? i can see thomas haden church in that role. keep up the great work--sally soupkitchen glenarm il

Hey folks, we're going to be interviewing the writers next week, so if you have any questions for them (especially about specific episodes), post 'em now!

For the Entire Cast:
How do you keep a straight face on the set?

For Writers:
How did you come up with the name Stottlemeyer?

For the entire cast:
Have you ever ad lib on the show? If so, what were the episodes and do you remember the original lines?

Jacqueline Barbour
Ricmond, Virginia

to mr. shalhoub: how difficult is it to get back into character after a long hiatus? do you have to practice being monk on and off during the break, or do you just jump right back into character when shooting resumes?----henrietta haybale, glenarm il

for the writers: any chance on seeing sharona back in one more episode? that would be interesting to see both her and natalie on at the same time.

Hi - I don't know if it's too late for a question or not but here goes:

For Tony Shalhoub:
I have severe OCD like Monk and for me Monk is a great support group. He really helps me get through the tough times. I admire how he uses his OCD for good and hope to do that someday too. Do you think Monk will ever make a close friend with someone who has OCD as well, if so, I'd love to be his friend

Thank you for helping me through a difficult time in my life.

-OCDGirl

For the writers and Tony:

Will the Trudy storyline be resolved in the final episode of Monk, whenever that might be?

Thanks for a unique and wonderfully entertaining series!

To The Cast,

Does everyone stay in touch and hang out over the breaks or do you all go your own way and just meet back up when the filming starts again?



To the Writers,

Will Monk ever open the Christmas present from Trudy that he has been saving?
I would love to know what is inside!
It's a good thing cats have nine lives cause the suspense is killing me! LOL

Could we ever see a reunion between Monk and Benjy?
Perhaps Benjy is having a problem or witnesses a murder and runs back to Monk the friend he knows can help him and will believe him. Sharona if not available could be talked to only on the phone like in Game Show.

Thank you,

Elaine (Luvinmonk)

I hope it's not too late to add another question for the writers, specifically for David Breckman and Hy Conrad.
In 'Mr. Monk and the Paperboy', did Captain Stottlemeyer know why Monk was vacuuming at the time of the murder and why he wasn't sleeping? I ask because there were a few moments when it seemed like he did, like when he first saw Kevin and Vicky and he was looking at them like he was thinking something like, "What, this is 'Studmuffin' from upstairs? You gotta be kiddin' me!" Or maybe that was just the way Ted Levine just played it. It was really funny if you rewatch his scenes with that perspective.
Thanks,
Olivia, Grenada, MS

This question is for Tony Shalhoub and just hope I am not too late.

Please tell me what was your very first thought when you read the script about Adrian Monk?



Dana

Missouri

Hi,

This is Dani Hoy in York, PA.

Questions for now or the future. It took me some time to come up with them since I'm still catching up on the series. I also want to come up with more unusual questions about the series.

For Tony,

What is your source for Monk's childlike tendencies? I've noticed at times he reverts to being about 8 years old, which is appropriate, given his abandonment issues. Sometimes it's the innocent or naive expression he gets, other times it's that petulant response to his insecurities. Where do you go in your acting when your portraying this aspect of his personality?

How do you keep your nervous energy up while playing Monk? He's always fidgeting. And you're almost always using your hands when you speak. They are like a character of their own in every scene. Are you constantly aware of what your hands are doing while you are acting?

For the writers,

How did you develop the idea for Mr. Monk & the Leper? When I saw that episode I was impressed because that's something that was way out. You don't hear much about leprosy in series television.
And the whole ballooning thing. That was inspired!

I also notice gets hit in the head a couple of times per season. You might want to be careful. He could get a concussion one of these days. But I guess there was the amnesia and sleeping for 15 hours. Maybe he's already had one.

On another note, have you ever thought of having someone throw Monk a birthday party? That would really mess with him. Especially if it was a surprise.

Thanks for your time.

To the Writers:
1. Will you take 'Monk' to an international destination?

To Tony:
1. After taking Monk on for 5 years, and going on for six, if a season 7 gets signed would you contiue?

To Traylor Howard
1. Who do you think would win in a cat fight, Sharona Flemming or Natalie Teeger?

Jack
Melbourne, Australia.

Hi - I just had another question for the writers and directors, but first I want to say that Monk is my favorite show and totally inspires me to be able to do something good with my severe OCD as Adrian does with his. I think this show is great to teach about the devastation of OCD on people's lives and is a great support group for those who have OCD and need to know they're not alone and great to teach others what it's like to have OCD. I love this show, but here is my question, is Monk supposed to be a comedy or a drama? I know it's a comedy technically but I see it as more of a drama, speaking from the perspective of someone who has severe OCD like Monk.
Also, is the point of the show to laugh at Monk's OCD or is it to educate the general public about the devestating effects OCD has on it's sufferers?
I would love to meet Monk some day as it has helped me through an extremely difficult time with my OCD.

I have never laughed at Monk, as what he is going through is one of the most difficult struggles, I don't think we should make fun of OCD or mental illness, we would never make fun of someone with cancer or diabetes, therefore we shouldn't make fun of OCD or mental illness. It is a very serious illness and we need to advocate for it. OCD doesn't get very much research money, yet it completely destroys the lives of its sufferers, it's a chronic illness that debilitates your life. We need to get the word out about how serious this illness is, it's not a joking matter, it's torture for the sufferer and we need to have people be more understanding and compassionate toward mental illness. When you get cancer, people come running to your side to help you, when you have mental illness, people run from you. We need to educate about mental illness, in my mind, Monk does that. He shows the difficult struggle of living with severe OCD. If people wanted to learn more, they can also visit the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation (www.ocfoundation.org), this site helps you learn about OCD and you can also make donations to research for OCD. I think of Monk as a support group, I feel less alone when I watch him, when I'm having a really bad day and my anxiety is really high, I put on Monk and he makes me feel better. I think he educates people to the struggle and portrays OCD really well with the suffering, I just hope people realize that there are real people who suffer like this and it's not something to laugh at, but something to raise awareness for this illness. I just hope the producers and cast and writers see the show as a way to advocate for us with OCD and raise awareness for research for a cure. Thanks for making a great show and educating the public about OCD.
Thank you,
OCDGirl

The first year was great. Since then it has steadily gone downhill. Why did you mess up a good show by making stupid changes? You had the perfect theme music but changed to that dreadful opening song the second year. Then Sharona left. That was a major blow.

But the worse thing is how bad the writing has gotten. The Christmas episode was the worse ever. They show Monk watching his dad full the 18 wheeler's fuel tank with premium gas instead of diesel. That truck would not run on gas. Anyone should have caught that mistake. Then a hydraulic brake line comes apart and the truck has no brakes. What a joke! All Monk's dad had to do was put the trailer brakes on and the truck would never have moved because the trailer brakes are operated by air. They're not connected to the hydraulic brake lines at all.

Monk would have caught these mistakes in a heartbeat if he was as sharp as he supposed to be. It is getting embarrassing to watch the show.

I think you have an extremely high opinion of your own intelligence. The stuff you are complaining about is old news. Plus you probably like to take toys away from children and kick people's dogs. The show is not all about just the facts. It's also meant to entertain and show the humanity of a vulnerable yet intelligent and quirky character. Perhaps if you had an open mind and could enjoy yourself from time to time you wouldn't be so vitriolic.

Hello,

On another note:

To the cast:
Do you have any special exercises you do to get into character? Or is it pretty easy to do after 5 seasons? Are any of your characters' personality traits based on people you know in real life?
Tony:
Mr. Monk runs a lot. Does he have a treadmill? How does he keep in shape so he can run down bad guys and jet planes?

And, because we've all heard the rumor:
One more season! Please,pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease! I implore you!

To the writers: In "Mr. Monk & The Really, Really Dead Guy." Is there really a mobile crime lab like that? Do you spend any time researching new crime-solving technology for the show? Follow the police around? I love this "Man vs. Technology" episode. And it's so true, it's so hard to concentrate on what matters when you have to keep up with so many gadgets in the world. Sometimes the simplest things matter most.

Thanks again,


Dani Hoy
York, PA

Late as usual, but I want to echo the query from Amy Marrero of Madison, WI (see above) for anyone who may still be in line for an interview. Can they do some kind of memorial?
I'm older than I "look" so I recall Lee from the old board; she seemed like a trouper.
Even an in-joke (and from tonight's episode I can tell they're all more than tolerant of in-jokes still, over there!) would be cool.
Can't give my name and whereabouts however, just putting in the proverbial 2 cents.
Thanks for all your work admin!

Hey, for the writers ... Where can I find the paint colors used in Adrian's apartment? I think they're perfect and want to do my apartment the same way. Thanks, Chris.

Hi,

My question is for Tony Shalhoub:

Do you think that the resolusion of trudy's murder,if it takes place, will relieve adrian and will allow him to say goodbye?


Caroline and Sarah
(palmade / kilowatt2)
Lille -FRANCE


PS:Thank you very much for the autographs that we have recieved, we are very happy.

Have the writers thought about adding "aulophobia" to Monk's list? It is the fear of flutes. With the talent of his new therapist, it might make for on interesting storyline.

I didn't see this thread when it started. What's the deadline to get questions in here???

I just noticed this thread isn't from this past May--it's from May 2007. Dammit! Oh well, I'm leaving my questions up. Maybe I'll get lucky and they'll do new interviews.

[color="#00FFFF"][size="4"] My sixth question is for Hector Elizondo "As the newest member to the Monk cast, has it been hard or easy to get in the flow of the other actors/writer/producers on the show?"