Interview: Perdita Weeks Says Aloha to ‘Magnum P.I.’ and Shares How The Series Changed Her

For the first five seasons of Magnum P.I. actress Perdita Weeks played Juliet Higgins, the ex MI-6 agent and investigative partner of Thomas Magnum (Jay Hernandez) who worked with him side by side no matter where the most recent case too them. For the final season of the series, the actress went somewhere she never went before, the director’s chair. Weeks helmed the most recent episode “Extracurricular Activities” which had Higgins and Magnum investigating a professor accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a grad student.

While the opportunity to direct is one Weeks cherished it was also an incredible amount of work admitted the self-proclaimed control freak. “It’s pretty intense. I didn’t get a lot of sleep,” said Weeks. “As soon as I had the script, all you do all the time is thinking out every single scene. There’s just the most unbelievable amount of decisions and emails to us because obviously the buck stops with you – you have to decide absolutely everything down to like the color of the pen that the person in the background is using. The tiniest minutiae is up to you. But I also really love that.”

As one of the show stars, Weeks had to work in front of the camera while keeping everything running smoothly behind. “I learned a hell of a lot. It was kind of exhausting just for the amount that I was learning on the go in terms of camera and lighting and just all the myriad component parts that go into creating an episode of television.” That included everything from directing actors to designing stunts with her stunt coordinator, something she is very proud of. “It’s really daunting. It was very, very challenging, but in a really sort of brilliant, sort of life affirming kind of fun way,” explained Weeks.

As the series wraps up its run, Weeks reflected on how the whole Magnum P.I. experience affected her. “God, it has really changed me. It’s taught me the meaning of hard work,” remarked the actress. “That was the hardest job I’ve ever done for sure, physically, mentally, emotionally. It was just an unbelievable honor to sort of get a job with such great people and for such a long time.” She continued, “I mean, it was half a decade. It’s a very long time to be on an island in the Pacific. It was bonkers, it was utterly bonkers and I’ll forever be grateful for the experience.”

After seasons of sexual tension Higgins and Magnum finally kicked off the romance fans have been waiting for. While Weeks would not reveal details of what fans can expect as the series rides off into the she did tease, “I’m happy with it. So I hope everyone else will be. I think it’s really sweet and fitting, low-key.” Weeks added jokingly, “It could have been kind of sad to see Higgins and Magnum get old and fat and angry and divorced, you know? We can imagine that they live happily ever after this way.”

Watch my full conversation with Weeks below as well as the final episodes of Magnum P.I. coming to NBC this January.