How This MONK Star Joined a Murder-Mystery Directed By 12 Year-Old Boy

Published: June 25, 2026

By India McCarty

MONK’s Tony Shalhoub has been working in Hollywood for decades, but he recently took part in a completely unique project — a movie directed by a 12-year-old boy.

Oliver Odwazny-Beebe is the subject of the documentary KIDS LIKE ME, which follows him as he makes THE GAME IS MURDER, a movie he wrote, directed and starred in. The documentary shows his creative drive, as well as the everyday realities of living with a rare genetic condition that isn’t identified by name in KIDS LIKE ME.

“While our improvisation unfolded under Oliver’s direction into a tale of intrigue and murder, we realized there was a larger story to be told, about an imaginative, charismatic and multidimensional 12-year-old whose storytelling envelops his community,” the doc’s co-directors Cynthia Lowen and Jon Cohrs said in a joint statement.

The statement continued, “We want audiences to share in Oliver’s joy of creation, his passion for storytelling and the fierce ways he and his family move through the world. KIDS LIKE ME is a profoundly human story about family, community and love.”

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Odwazny-Beebe’s love of murder-mysteries was born when he started watching MONK, so it’s no surprise he wanted to tap its star, Shalhoub, for his movie.

“I was so fascinated by, you know, the story, Oliver’s family,” the actor shared. “I don’t know, it just sounded like a fun idea. And I climbed on board.”

Shalhoub, who also served as an executive producer on KIDS LIKE ME, is ready to work with Odwazny-Beebe again, telling the budding director, “By the way, I’m available, just so you know.”

“If Oliver has more stories, more arrows in the quiver, so to speak, I certainly would be open to discussing working with him again, of course,” he continued.

KIDS LIKE ME is already receiving positive reviews, with the organization Disability Belongs calling it a “successful portrayal of disability with complexity and authenticity.”

This isn’t the only mystery project Shalhoub is involved in. It was recently announced he would be joining the cast of CBS’ EINSTEIN, which re-teams him with MONK creator and executive producer Andy Breckman and executive producer Randy Zisk.

The show “follows Lewis Einstein (Matthew Gray Gubler), the brilliant but directionless great-grandson of Albert Einstein,” a description of the show reads. “His bad-boy antics land him in trouble with the law, and he is pressed into service helping Teri (Melissa Fumero), a local police detective, solve her most puzzling cases.”

From Odwazny-Beebe’s THE GAME IS MURDER to EINSTEIN, it looks like Shalhoub is ready to dive back into the world of murder mysteries.

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