Gary Weeks guest stars in the season eight debut "Mr. Monk's Favorite Show" as Mr. Cooper, the head of The Cooper Clan, which is, you guessed it, Monk's favorite show. Gary was featured in season two of USA's Burn Notice as Campbell. His other credits include The Office, Chuck, Veronica Mars and 24. Gary has also written and produced two feature films, Deadland (2009) and 29 Reasons to Run (2006) which won numerous film festival awards.

Although he now lives in L.A. close to the action, Gary is originally from Georgia, attended Georgia State University and still calls Georgia home. In fact he had just returned from Georgia when he answered all my Monk questions.

How did you get the part on Monk?

I was actually extremely lucky with some good old-fashioned right-place, right-time timing. I got a call from my agent asking if I could make it to the studio in a few hours for a same-day read for producers. When I looked at the sides (the audition dialogue), I had a great feeling about it. I thought that even though I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare, I felt like if I just fully committed to the absurdist comedy, I just might pull it off. It was a fun read, and since I am talking to you about it now, I must have done something right I guess.

Then again, Mr. Cooper is a very exaggerated caricature of Mr. Brady, so I was actually hired to act badly in a way, so take that with a grain of salt too. But no matter how you slice it, I was just honored to have gotten a chance to play such a unique role on one of the best shows on TV.

What was your concept of the character? How did you approach it?

It’s hard not to think of the original Robert Reed Mr. Brady character, and Gary Cole’s [Dexter Larson, "Mr. Monk and the Playboy"] fantastic movie turn with it, so I played around with splinters of that, adding large doses of my own Dad, who was definitely a man’s man but had a very unique timing when he spoke “fatherly” to them as kids… and then I threw in some of my own tricks. Mr. Cooper’s over-the-top physicality was a great playground.

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

I love improv, and Randy (our director) really made me feel comfortable to play around with the character, which was a true gift. Tony Shalhoub is so amazing to bounce off of, and I hope we created some comedy in places – It sure felt like we did. Not to mention that I also had a stellar guest cast around me, so it all felt effortless and fun. I just hope it comes off that way.

What’s the atmosphere on the set like?

Who was the director of the episode and what was he like to work with?

Some directors just “get it” and Randy Zisk is that guy for sure. He’s a brilliant director and really made me feel empowered to take chances. As an actor, I couldn’t have asked for better. He got the shots he wanted, and he did it with a smile. I’d work with him again in a heartbeat anytime. He’s class.

Did you watch Monk before you got the role?

Of course! It really is one of the best shows on TV, and I feel honored to have been a part of it.

What do you enjoy most about acting?

Every single character is unique, and it’s hard to pinpoint, but I love creating, and I love interacting with people. That’s a lot of what it is to me. It’s creating a character, then seeing what happens when that character is faced with obstacles life throws at them. Feeling that. Sometimes its very joyful or very painful to experience, but there is nothing like truly being in the moment. It’s really tough to put into words, but I do know this: I love what I do, and I feel blessed to get to do it for a living.

What has been your best acting experience so far?

And your worst?

THE WORST? I try to focus on the positive, so mum's the word there!

Which do you find most rewarding acting or writing and why?

I love them both. As a writer, I love being the first person to meet a character, hear their first words, see their first actions, and feel their plight and joys. I won’t repeat what I said about enjoying acting, but I just truly love it. I hope I will never have to choose one, because they are both a huge part of my life.

Gary Weeks in Deadland

I wrote, produced and co-starred in the feature Deadland, which is running at film festivals now and will be released by the end of the year, so keep an eye out for that (see www.DeadlandTheMovie.com.) And of course, thank all of you for watching Monk, and I hope you have as much fun watching this episode as I did making it. See you August 7th for the season premiere. I’ll be watching it too!

Monk: Season Seven