Schism Over Monk's Blessing

Update 10/24/2003...

I got a passionate response from the publicist and one of the producers of "Monk" after posting this item. That's not how it happened, according to co-producer Randy Zisk. North and his partner got through the whole scene, reading it with Shalhoub -- and the "God bless" send-off was actually the last line of the script, not an impromptu jab from Shalhoub. Casting director Amy Britt confirmed that the lines were indeed in the script. North said that even his scene partner -- someone he'd only met before the audition -- told North he'd gotten the same impression of Shalhoub's sarcasm. Who to believe? Well, auditions are often recorded, so I watched the tape. Read about it here.

Original post...

In what business would a seasoned job applicant be asked to prepare a sample of his work, then be paired in his job interview with a lunkheaded stranger -- and then not even be allowed a chance to present his work? Where else but in acting, of course.

Matt North -- whom viewers may recognize as the right-wing lawyer for the prosecution in the Showtime drama "Dirty Pictures," or as Jason Alexander's agent in an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" -- is more or less used to the routine indignities of auditioning, but he doesn't need to have his face rubbed in it. That's what "Monk" star Tony Shalhoub apparently did recently, after North's audition went poorly.

North had been paired with an under-rehearsed actor so the two could audition for a scene as two garbagemen; the other actor botched a few pages of lines, while North got to say about three words--and by then the producers had seen as much they thought they wanted. This was bad enough, but Shalhoub added insult to injury, North said, by announcing, with patronizing facetiousness, "Gentlemen, God bless you and God bless your work." North said it took all his strength not to reply, "Tony, you went way over the top in 'Big Night.' "