Michelle Monaghan moved to tears by ‘Bad Monkey’ role

Michelle Monaghan considers life to be a tearjerker.

After holding her own on-screen with the likes of Tom Cruise, Mark Wahlberg and Vince Vaughn, she has no qualms about bursting into tears.

“You’re supposed to get to this age where you keep it all together, but that’s not always me,” the 48-year-old actor says.

Case in point: Monaghan just couldn’t hold back when she landed the role in Apple TV+’s new dramedy “Bad Monkey.”

“Oh, my God, I bawled my eyes out! I had the same reaction when Mike White offered me a role in the upcoming season of ‘White Lotus,’” she says. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong at any age to honor your true emotions. Cry if you must. It’s one of the great releases in life to cry because you feel joy.”

Monaghan isn’t known for her softer side. She went toe-to-toe with Cruise in the “Mission: Impossible” films, plus has been a tough girl in “Gone Baby Gone,” “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” and “The Family Plan.”

Now, she’s making another bold turn in “Bad Monkey,” starring opposite Vaughn.

He plays Andrew Yancy, a detective who is bounced from the Miami PD and demoted to restaurant inspector in the Florida Keys. An unusual new case might be his key back into the department, if he can deal with an actual monkey and a group of odd characters, including a curious love interest portrayed by Monaghan.

“Ted Lasso” showrunner Bill Lawrence created the series, based on the 2013 Carl Hiaasen novel of the same name.

“I’d been wanting to get back to my comedic roots, and Bill offered me this role of a lifetime and something I never did before, which is exciting,” Monaghan says. “It was also a great reason to bring my whole family to Florida for eight months and spend time on the beach with my husband and kids. That’s enough to make any mom cry.”

Monaghan lives in New York City with her husband, graphic artist Peter White, and their kids, Willow and Tommy.

Her good life tips:

A different direction

Monaghan could have done another action film, but she craved something completely different. Enter “Bad Monkey.” “What makes it so much fun is you’re introduced to a group of shady characters who do outrageous things,” she says. “Everyone feels like a suspect, yet you love all of them despite the fact that they’re all doing terrible things.”

Be ready for anything

Working with people you enjoy is always key, she says. “With Vince Vaughn, we know a lot of people in common, but we had never crossed paths before,” Monaghan says. “On this set, we bonded creatively. He’s very loose and fast with comedy. I felt, ‘You gotta keep up, show up and be as prepared as possible with these genius lines.’ But then Vince looks at you with this twinkle in his eyes and would say, ‘Let’s say.’ I knew that meant it was time to improv.”

A little adventure

While filming in the Florida Keys, Monaghan made sure to turn her downtime into adventure days for her husband, teenage daughter and 10-year-old son. “We went scuba diving together as a family, which was wonderful,” she says, adding that even date nights were departures from the norm. “One night, my husband and I went out dancing and came home at 1:30 in the morning. The babysitter looked at us like, ‘What are you doing home?’ I said, ‘It’s 1:30.’ She said, ‘I didn’t think you’d come home until 4 or 5. It’s Florida.’ I said, ‘Next time!’”

Keep a few secrets

Monaghan has a starring role in “White Lotus 3,” due out next year. Just don’t try to get plot secrets out of her. “It was one of the most special experiences, and I fell in love with shooting in Southeast Asia,” she says. “As for the show, I wish I could say everything. I will say it’s a bigger season and the cast had grown. The scope has grown. It’s all the things we love about ‘White Lotus,’ too.”

Kids will be kids

“I know my kids respect what I do,” the actor says. “But they’re not all that impressed by it. They play it cool. They’re also kids. A few hours ago, I got a text from my daughter. She’s like, ‘I’m going to the mall today. I really need more denim shorts.’ And I was like, ‘I have an interview. Can we have this conversation later?’ And she’s like, ‘But I really need those shorts.’ Sometimes I’m just a cash machine.”

Chase a dream

Monaghan, who grew up in rural Winthrop, Iowa, is the only daughter of a mother who ran a day care center and a father who was a factory worker and farmer. She studied journalism for three years at Chicago’s Columbia College and paid her tuition by doing some modeling/commercial work. It wasn’t long before she moved to New York to try acting. “My parents helped me drive the U-Haul to New York,” she recalls. “I loved that time. I was young enough and naïve enough to know the world was my oyster. My parents taught me to believe that something good would happen.”

Health is wealth

Monaghan calls meditation is her secret weapon. “I don’t start my day without it,” she says. “Meditation has been a game changer that helps me manage my stress and is integral to my health.” As for aging, she says, “The key is to feel young at heart. Love your days. I’ve learned as I’ve grown older to love the person I am and the life I’m leading. Of course, I don’t like the aches and pains that go with aging. And I still have my vanity!”