Monk Fun Page Interview: Sandra Luesse

March 2nd 2009

Sandra Luesse plays the waitress who catches Jack Jr.'s eye in "Mr. Monk's Other Brother". She's "Exhibit A" in his case that Paraguayan women are the most beautiful in the world. Sandra has been featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live and the Cinemax series Co-Ed Confidential. Sandra is not Paraguayan. She was born in Berlin, Germany Sandra speaks German, English, Spanish, French and a little bit of Guarani.

She's also on Facebook, which is where I tracked her down and persuaded her to answer a few questions about her Monk experience.

How did you get the part on Monk?

I got the part on Monk through auditioning. My manager got me the audition.

Why do you think they chose you for the role? Did they want a certain look for instance?

I am guessing I got the part because of my "exotic" look.

Where were your scenes shot?

The scenes were shot at Swinger's in Los Angeles.

How long did it take?

It took about 3 hours to shoot that particular scene.

Do you know if the line you had was actually in Guarani? Do you know what the English translation was? And what did Steve Zahn’s character say to you?

The lines were actually in Gaurani. Basically Steve's character said: "Avy'aite roikuaahague're" which means "It was nice meeting you." And my character followed by saying: "Jajoecha peve" which translates to "See you later."

What do you think you may have brought to the role that wasn’t in the script?

I hope I brought a Paraguayan waitress to life with charm and sexiness.

What’s the atmosphere on the set like? Were Tony Shalhoub and Steve Zahn easy to work with?

The atmoshere was great on set. Everyone was super friendly the minute I arrived. Tony was such a gentleman and so appreciative of me coming in to do that part, when I was the one so excited to be able to work with Tony period! It was a pleasure working on Monk especially since its probably their last season.

Steve was just funny and also a pleasure to work with. Very down to earth.

What was it like working with director David Hoberman?

David Hoberman made it very comfortable and let me be creative with my scene.

What was the most memorable moment filming the episode?

The most memorable moment filming was when Tony gave me a technical piece of advise while working with him.

Did you watch the show before you got the role?

I actually have not watched the show before getting the role. Once I knew that I had an audition for the show, I watched like a whole season of Monk and got hooked! I cant believe I haven't watched it before!

Any phobias of you own?

Any phobias? I try not to have any.

What led you to acting?

I use to watch Lucille Ball growing up and she inspired me to act.

What do you enjoy most about acting?

What I enjoy most about acting is being able to create different characters and adding my personal experiences of life to it. Theres such a rush in creating and bringing things to life for the audience to enjoy.

What has been your best acting experience so far?

My best acting experience so far would be working on Monk.

And your worst?

I dont really have a worst acting experience. I have truly enjoyed all of them.

Professionally speaking, what’s the one thing you’d most like to do that you haven’t done yet?

The one thing that I'd most like to do that I haven't done yet is to be a lead in a tv series that dares to take the character to new levels.

What's next on your agenda?