Hollywood – Before Tony Shalhoub broke through as the obsessive-compulsive detective Monk, the Lebanese-American actor had compiled a long list of supporting characters with widely diverse names: Haddad (“The Siege”), Kwan (“Galaxy Quest”), Scarpacci (“Wings”), Reyes (“Primary Colors”) and Riedenschneider (“The Man Who Wasn’t There”).
This year, he again has been nominated for a Golden Globe, and he won his third Emmy for “Monk,” USA Network’s highest-rated show, which will start Season 5 1/2 at 7 p.m. Jan. 19.
Lately, Shalhoub, 53, has added to his resumé not only as an actor but also as a producer and advocate, reaching back to his Arab-American roots. One of his projects, an upcoming independent film titled “American East,” tells about ordinary Arab-Americans in Los Angeles whose everyday lives and plans have been altered by the Sept. 11 attacks.
“Spike Lee had his agenda and his vision. It’s been done in the Hispanic-American community,” Shalhoub said. “If ever there was a time for it to be done for the Arab-American community, it’s now.”
If he hadn’t succeeded as Monk, an everyman character of indeterminate ethnicity, it might have been more difficult for him to be a successful advocate, said Hesham Issawi, director of “American East.”
“People don’t even realize he has a Lebanese background. He has the money, the artistic power and the influence in Hollywood to make some change in the image. And he’s not afraid of doing it.”
In “star math,” the relationship of an actor’s ego to his talent, Shalhoub comes out on top, said Jeff Wachtel, USA’s senior vice president of original programming. “Tony has the best ratio I’ve ever seen,” Wachtel said. “It’s so little about his ego and so much about the quality of the work and his fellow actors, it just makes people want to vote for him.”
Shalhoub said he’s never considered himself a comedian.
“The beauty of ‘Monk’ for an actor is that it presents the ideal challenge, which is doing comedic stuff and dramatic stuff all together,” he said.
Critics admire his ability to shift moods on a dime, a trait the show’s writers like to exploit.
“Writing for Tony Shalhoub’s voice is like writing for Bob
Newhart,” said co-creator and executive producer Andy Breckman. “It’s all about pacing, timing, the pauses.”
In recent years, Shalhoub branched out from acting to direct (“Made-Up” with his wife, Brooke Adams) and produce (as a creative force in casting, writing and editing on “Monk”). Still, he said, he can’t quit acting. “I just love it,” he said.
Because “Monk,” a 16-episode series, is split into two half-seasons, one in summer, the other in winter, Shalhoub is free for other ventures.
In 2005, he helped establish the Arab-American Filmmaker Award Competition that allows Arab-American filmmakers to submit their screenplays. The winner gets his or her film produced.
“It’s important,” he said. “There are so many great stories that need to be told to offset the negative images in the media – not just the news, but in other television and film.”
