July 10, 2009
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Michael
Patrick McGill will be making his
second appearance on Monk this season
in "Mr. Monk and the Voodoo
Curse". His first appearance
was in the season six episode "Mr.
Monk Goes to the Bank"
as the patrolman in the teaser who
almost gives Natalie a parking ticket,
unaware that she and the gang are
trapped in the nearby bank. In his
latest episode Mike will once again
be representing law enforcement
as Sgt. Steiner one of Stottlemeyer's
detectives. It's the sort of role
he plays often on TV series such
as ER,
Bones,
Boston
Legal, Entourage,
Two
and a Half Men and NYPD
Blue. Wisconsin born Mike
also has a background in theater
and improv, so he seems to be ready
for just about anything... including
a bunch of questions.
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| How
did you get the latest part on Monk?
Did they remember you from your
patrolman role in "Mr. Monk
Goes to the Bank" and ask you
back?
Luckily for me, my manager
saw a casting notice for the sergeant
role in "Mr. Monk And The Voodoo
Curse" and called the casting
director to refresh their memories
about me. I was asked to come in
and audition again and read in front
of the casting directors, producers
and the director of the episode.
The casting office also puts your
audition on tape for anyone who
wasn't able to make the casting
session to be able to look at later.
Why
do you think they chose you for
the role?
I
think I just fill out the blue uniform
the right way. A majority of the
roles I book are police officers
of some shape or form. I'm a "cop
type," I look and sound like
I cop to the casting community at
large.
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Where
were your scenes shot?
In "Mr. Monk Goes To The
Bank," we filmed on location
at a bank near a shopping mall
in Woodland Hills, California.
For "Mr. Monk And The Voodoo
Curse," all my stuff was
shot on a soundstage on the Paramount
Pictures studio lot in Hollywood.
Paramount and Warner
Bros. are my two favorite
lots in L.A.. There's such a history
to those lots and they're very
scenic.
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Mike McGill
in "Mr. Monk Goes to the Bank" |
| How
long did it take to film your part
for each episode?
Basically I was in one scene
in each episode, and they were both
shot in one shooting day, anywhere
from between 4 and 6 hours each.
The production has to film an entire
episode in 8 shooting days, so they
have to move fairly quickly. Just
enough time to film the scene a
few times at various angles and
frame sizes, and then you're on
to the next one.
What
was your concept of the character?
How did you approach it? |
Once again,
Mike McGill in
"Mr. Monk Goes to the Bank" |
I
don't like to overthink it too much
when it comes to preparing for a
policeman. I keep getting cast as
them, so if it ain't broke, don't
fix it, right? Basically, unless
the script or my director gives
me a specific direction, I like
to play it as naturally as possible.
Just a guy who does this for a living
day in, day out, he knows the drill
and he's fine with that. Veteran,
blue collar guy. |
| For
this latest episode, I kind of envisioned
him as being somewhere in the middle
of Capt. Stottlemeyer's professional
policeman attitude and Lt. Disher's
gung-ho, eager energy. Jason
Gray-Stanford and I talked a
little bit about how maybe my character
and his character went through the
police academy together and Disher
got promoted at a faster rate than
I did, because I was a little looser
on procedures and protocol. |
What
do you think you may have brought
to the role that wasn’t
in the script?
Well, I like to think
that each actor infuses some of
his or her own specific personality
to whatever role they're working
on. I'm a little blue-collar,
a little mischievous, and that's
probably why I get cast in these
types of roles. Having fun, not
taking yourself too seriously,
but still getting the job done.
I like to riff and ad-lib things
on-set sometimes, be spontaneous.
There were a couple of physical
bits and looks to each other that
Jason and I worked out on the
set based on our "history"
together. They may or may not
show up on screen, but they helped
us in how we played the scene
together.
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| In
the script there was a line where
I was supposed to "make weird
noises" to show I was skeptical
of the voodoo element. One noise
I came up with during rehearsal
made Tony laugh and he told me to
run with it. He realized it was
the noise that sounded the funniest
and worked best for the scene, so
I'm willing to bet that's what will
end up in the final version of the
episode.
What’s
the atmosphere on the set like?
Relaxed? Tense?
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It
was very relaxed. You can tell
the cast and crew has been working
together (and working well together)
for many years. A well-oiled machine
humming right along. A couple
of the guys from the crew remembered
me from the "Mr. Monk Goes
To The Bank" episode, and
I had also worked with the 1st
A.D. Anton
previously on an episode of Boston
Legal.
Who was the director of the episode
and what was he like to work with?
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| Andrei
Belgrader was the director of
"Mr. Monk and The Voodoo Curse."
It looks as though he's directed
a number of Monk episodes.
He has a very relaxed, laid-back
style. He threw a few tweaks in
here and there, but for the most
part let the actors and the cameramen
do their thing. Once he was satisfied
with what he had, we were on to
the next set-up. There were no "take
25's" or anything like that. |
What
was the most memorable moment
filming “Mr. Monk and the
Voodoo Curse”?
I overheard Ted
Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford
talking to one another on the
set about how I was doing a solid
job. I knew they didn't think
I could hear them, but I did.
It always feels rewarding to earn
the respect of fellow actors,
especially guys consistently working
at the top of their game whose
work I look up to. In an occupation
where rejection is the norm, a
little compliment goes a long
way.
You
and Tony Shalhoub are both from
Wisconsin.
Did you have a chance to discuss
your common roots with him? Or
maybe the Green
Bay Packers?
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| Absolutely!
I was grateful to have the opportunity
to work on the show the first time
with Michael
Coleman (another funny and talented
actor from the Midwest who played
my partner). I only regret I was
not being able to work with Tony
(or any of the series regulars for
that matter) to talk about the Wisconsin
connection. Fortunately when the
producers brought me back, I was
able to work with all of the series
regulars. My Mom and her whole side
of the family is from Green Bay,
Wisconsin. I knew she and Tony wouldn't
have been in school at the same
time together, but I was curious
to see if he went to the same high
school...turns out they didn't.
I'm from Appleton, about 45 minutes
south of Green Bay. We discussed
Kroll's Diner in Green Bay (where
my Mom worked in high school) and
their fine regional delicacies,
the Butterburger and french-fried
cheese curds. Tasty stuff, good
for the soul if not the heart! And
of course, a little bit about The
Green Bay Packers and the best place
to watch an NFL football game, Lambeau
Field!
Did
you watch Monk before you
got the first role?
I've
seen a number of episodes over the
past several years, usually to support
my fellow actor friends who had
guest-starring roles. However, not
to the extent of a super-fan like
Teresa Murray! I don't have an encyclopedic
knowledge of the series, but that's
what The Monk Fun Page is here for,
right? I've enjoyed it the times
I have seen it and it's one of my
brother and his family's favorite
shows. They have all of the seasons
on DVD. One of my old bosses who
I still keep in touch with watches
it religiously and is excited for
my appearances.
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How
did you get into acting?
The
short and sweet answer to that is
my Dad took me to the local Drive-In
Theatre years ago to see my first
movie, the original Star
Wars. I think I was hooked
immediately and forever more. I'm
lucky in that I've always known
what I wanted to do from a young
age.
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What
do you enjoy most about acting?
I like the idea that I'm
not stuck in an office cubicle or
a warehouse doing the same thing
over and over, that there's some
variety in my occupation (says the
guy who plays a cop 9 times out
of 10!). Basically I get paid to
play, like I did when I was a little
boy. I'm a big, overgrown kid who
gets to pretend and exercise my
imagination fully. When I'm on the
set or the stage and a scene is
really cooking with your fellow
actors, the day just flies right
by...everybody's in "the zone."
I love it!
What
has been your best acting experience
so far?
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There's
been a lot of great ones so far.
I worked on a couple episodes of
The
Office, that was a blast.
I had a guest spot on an episode
of NCIS
a couple of years ago that was really
satisfying... Mark
Harmon's the nicest guy in showbiz.
I worked on a Hallmark Channel Western
called Desolation
Canyon...I got to shoot
a gun, ride a horse, channel my
inner cowboy. My favorite is probably
still NYPD Blue. I was
a huge fan of the show and it was
one of my earlier acting jobs out
in L.A.. Dennis
Franz is kind of like Tony Shalhoub
in that he deservedly wins Emmy
awards year after year for his portrayal
of an iconic television character,
in this case Detective Andy Sipowicz.
I was just day-playing a small uniformed
policeman role, nothing major. At
the end of the day he shook my hand
and said, "You did a good job
today," and it made my year.
Hell, it made my decade! |
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What’s
the most fun you’ve ever had?
As much fun as I have working
in all aspects and mediums of acting,
my favorite would still have to
be sketch comedy live on stage.
I went through The
Groundlings program in L.A.
for the better part of this past
decade, and it was a great experience.
I met some really talented, funny
comedians in those classes and workshops.
You'd just come out of classes and
shows with a sore stomach from laughing
so much and so hard. Writing sketches
is undoubtedly hard work, but nothing
compares to the thrill of putting
up original material you created
onstage and having it kill and connect
with the audience. The collective
laugh of the crowd ripples over
you in an instant, providing you
an immediate and indescribable moment
of satisfaction. It's a highly addictive
rush. |
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Professionally
speaking, what’s the one thing
you’d most like to do that
you haven’t done yet?
I'm always eager to do more. Series
regular on a T.V. show would be
a nice start....
I REALLY wanted to be on my favorite
show of all-time The
Shield in some way, shape
or form. Unfortunately, the series
ended its run before I was able
to land a part. I can still hold
out hope for 24.
As much success as I've had on the
TV side of things, I wouldn't mind
more opportunities for roles on
the feature film side of things.
I'm also trying to kick-start the
voice-over area of my acting career. |
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What’s
next on your agenda?
I just wrapped up
performing in a play in L.A. I was
doing a couple of characters in
Cole Porter's musical comedy Red,
Hot & Blue!. I recently
filmed parts in Steven Bochco's
TNT series Raising
The Bar, and Sons
of Anarchy on FX that will
be airing later this fall. I'm continuing
to take commercial and animation
voice-over classes in L.A. to help
learn the tricks of the trade. Hopefully
more auditions and bookings, more
opportunities to play pretend! Oh,
and last, but certainly not least,
watching and cheering on the 2009
The Green Bay Packers!!
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Mike's
Website
Michael
Patrick McGill at the IMDB
Demo
Reel
  
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