TV with MeeVee: "Monk" Talk With Tony Shalhoub And Howie Mandel

"Monk" has its season premiere on USA Friday night, and the tale of the lovable obsessive compulsive detective played by Tony Shalhoub gets a twist with a guest performance by Howie Mandel (right) as a cult leader. The twisty part is that "Deal Or No Deal" host Mandel is, in real life, seriously afflicted with obsessive compulsive disorder. And the network offered Mandel and Shalhoub as a joint interview - perhaps in part because the show will start airing on NBC in March, one more side effect of the writers strike.

I was initially unenthusiastic - I think the late-era Mandel look is frankly just creepy - but it turned out to be a pretty interesting and often funny conference call.

Question: So Howie, were you a big fan of the show prior to you guest staring on it?
Howie Mandel: Absolutely. I have been watching it for years and a big fan of Tony's, a big fan of the shows. And I actually think of it as more of a self-help show for me and entertainment but first and foremost self-help. It makes me feel very not alone in the world. He portrays what I live inside.

Question: I know that you're playing a cult leader in your episode. So did you do any brushing up on like famous cults or anything like that?
Howie Mandel: No, I found out I was playing it two weeks prior to the taping. So I actually joined a cult.

Question: Tony, have you gotten any feedback from fans like on the streets or anything who are actually OCD? And like maybe think your character has kind of been a breakthrough for them?
Tony Shalhoub: You know, I get it all the time. People approach me on a regular basis. And they always - they're always saying that they are, you know, they feel like Monk has helped them and that the show has kind of de-stigmatized the disorder. And that's kind of gratifying because that's really not something we intended sort of like from the start. It's just kind of a happy accident that's happened.

Question: So how do the real life Howie Mandel obsessions compare to the television Monk obsessions?
Howie Mandel: You know, they compare, you know, obviously Tony has been brilliant in putting a face and a form of entertainment to this very serious disorder. And it is a serious disorder. OCD I think in America we did a PSA yesterday and, you know, over two million people in America are inflicted with this including myself. And even though I poke fun at it and I don't shake hands and I've talked about one small aspect of being a germaphobe, it's like encompasses your life. So to see a character like this on television and I mean it is, it does de-stigmatize. You know, and it has brought it out of the closet. At this point I even forget what the question was.
Question: It was comparing to your real life…
Howie Mandel: How does it compare? I mean it is a great caricature of, you know, because it's put in an entertainment venue. It is a great caricature of the hell that, you know, anybody who has it has to deal with each and every day. And I have to deal with each and every minute of my life. In fact I talked to you, as I speak to you, I'm on a speaker phone because I don't want to touch the receiver.

Question: Howie, when people talk about a disorder or something like that, I mean fear of clowns is like a crazy thing. But fear of germs, I mean germs are actually bad. So there's a certain logic to it up to a point. At what point do you think it's taking too much or a reasonable idea and taking it too far? In other words, when does it become disorder instead of just logical caution?
Howie Mandel: Well, you know, anybody who and I would imagine most people though I don't know everyone with OCD are pretty - are intelligent enough to know that, you know, whatever their fears are or their - and for me, you know, the fear of germs is just a small part of what I deal with each and every day.
But it's when you can't get passed. You know, I have a thought - that's why so many people will come up to me and go I have this too. I deal with this too. The dealing with Obsession Compulsive Disorder versus, you know, just having these logical thoughts is when it consumes your life and you can't get passed it.
I happen to with being surrounded by great people and I do attend therapy and I have a lot of help, I'm highly functioning and I'm doing fine but, you know, in the world. But I have to deal with it each and every day. So it goes past just being afraid of, you know, shaking somebody's hands or getting a germ on my hand and then going and washing it. I have been known to spend, you know, countless hours trying to, you know, wash my hands. So it's when it disrupts your normal flow of life.
Question: And obviously you're not going to go to a cult leader for it but have you tried some of the fairly strong solutions like hypnotists and that type of solution?
Howie Mandel: Yes I have. And right now what's working for me is I'm involved in cognitive therapy which is basically just dealing with it so.

(Editor's note: I've changed the order of the questions to keep the OCD stuff together.)

Question: Tony can you tell us a little bit about the upcoming episodes of Monk because I heard that there was a two-parter?
Tony Shalhoub: Oh sure, sure. For the first time in the six seasons of Monk, the writers have given us a two-part episode. And it's really a nice episode. It's called Mr. Monk on the Run. It's kind of homage to The Fugitive. Monk gets accused of a crime and has to go is arrested but then goes on the lamb. And Scott Glenn is the guest star. And he's excellent. He plays the sheriff for lack of a better, you know, phrase, the Tommy Lee Jones kind of character in pursuit of Monk. And it involves a lot of clues about Trudy's death and the six-fingered man and Dale the Whale even makes an appearance again in this episode. And it's just - we feel like it's almost like a movie, a little movie. Because it's, you know, a hour and a half, an hour and 40 minute thing. And really, really feel confident about it. ... It’s called "Mr. Monk is on the Run."

Question: Do you think that if Monk were to get all the answers to Trudy's death that he would truly be able to - suddenly be able to heal his Obsession Compulsive Disorder? Or do you think he'll always kind of be that way?
Tony Shalhoub: I think if that issue resolves it would - yes I think it would significantly decrease his OCD symptoms. Because that's when - that was a time in his life when he lost his wife was a time when he really, really hit bottom. And even though he was obsessive-compulsive before her and even somewhat during their time together, she really, really kept, you know, kept him together. And he was highly, highly functional during that time. So I believe, yes, I believe that it's ultimately up to the writers. But I believe that he would be, you know, he would be come back at least 75% of the way. ... I think that they're saving that for the series finale, whenever that might be. Because, you know, they're part of I think the appeal of this character is, you know, how much difficulty and how much trouble he gets in and how much difficulty he has in everyday life. So I would hope that all resolves itself at the end.

Question: One more question for Howie. In the film, in the series itself, you have to hug your followers and your worshippers. You may not be able to tie your own shoelaces but you do have to be able to bend down enough to hug them. Did this cause a problem for you in the sense that it is a very touchy-feely kind of role?
Howie Mandel: Yes. No, hugging for me is not an issue. I hug even on Deal. Hugging, just shaking hands is my one little quirk amongst other things. And hugging has never been an issue. I have three children.
Tony Shalhoub: And I can vouch, Howie is an excellent hugger. I think the best I’ve ever had.

Question: We were talking to the Psych guys yesterday and asked them if they were interested in a cross over episode with you. And they said yes, they'd loved to do it but they thought if they did it, it would have to be fairly soon. And they seemed to think that maybe because they didn't think your series, you were going to quit the series in a while? I kind of assumed you were going to do the series forever.
Tony Shalhoub: Well forever is a long, long time. And, you know, there's a lot of moving parts to this thing. We're, you know, because we're in this climate of the strike right now, that's disrupted a lot of things. And I was - my contract ended, my formal contract ended as of this, you know, this past season, Season Six.
And we were in discussions about Season Seven and that contract was, you know, very, very close to being resolved and then the strike hit. So everything got put on hold. And but I mean I'm hopeful and I trust that the network is hopeful that when the dust settles and the strike ends that, you know, all of these things can get back on track.
But they might have been referring to the uncertainty of, you know…

Question: You've talked about what great writers you have because you do have great writers on the show. Do you have kind of mixed feelings with things like when the Golden Globes gets cancelled because on the one hand, you know, you don't get the moment in the spotlight. But on the other hand you kind of sympathize with these great writers that you work with?
Tony Shalhoub: Well I do sympathize with the writers. And this is the perfect year not to have the Golden Globes because I'm not nominated. So I don't really give a crap. But no, that's a joke.
But, you know, it feels like, you know, if feels like when you talk to a lot of people it feels like the writers are the ones who are disrupting and holding everything up just because they're the ones who are striking.
But the strike is for a very good reason. And I mean, in the history of, you know, labor disputes and strikes, there is disruption. And people, you know, some people get hurt and that's the nature of it. But it's, you know, it's the necessary course of things. It's about large issues and it's about, you know, it's, you know, there are two side to it. And so, you know, the studios and the networks, you know, have to share in the responsibility of this too.
Howie Mandel: I'm actually nominated for a People's Choice award which has been cancelled tonight. But I just want to say, I just want to shout out to my wife who's been nice enough because we’re not going to an awards show, she's in the other room setting up a gifting suite. Hopefully she'll leave me two towels and a pair of socks.
Tony Shalhoub: I'll be there.