By Daniel Fienberg
Zap2it.com
Dominic Monaghan, an actor best known as one of the guardians of the ring in the Oscar-winning
''Lord of the Rings'' movies, is on the phone from Hawaii, where he's just embarked on another
jewelry quest, this time searching for earrings to send his mother for her birthday. There doesn't have
to be anything mystical about the earrings, but they can't be too dangly.
Along the way, there are certainly myriad obstacles. Over the course of a 25-minute interview,
Monaghan is stopped repeatedly for autographs and pictures. He's also accosted by one person who
knows the unassuming thespian looks familiar, but can't identify him. Monaghan cops to being an actor,
but notes only that he's filming ''Lost'' on the island for ABC.
A minute later, the same person returns, more confident.
''Were you in that hobbit thing?''
''Yeah, that's right, I was one of the hobbits,'' Monaghan says, only slightly drawn out. ''I was
at the shop across the street looking for earrings for my mum, but do you know any other craft-y
shops?''
Safely away from his semi-fan and back on the streets, Monaghan laughs at the exchange.
''I think it's the cheesiest thing in the world to be saying 'Oh, I'm an actor' and for people to
go 'Oh, yeah?' and for you to say 'Yes, you may have seen me in such films as blah, blah blah,'''
he explains. ''I help them along the way, but at no point do I say, 'Oh, I'm in 'Lord of the
Rings' because that's like saying 'Oh, I'm a Los Angeles Laker.'''
As good-spirited and occasionally resourceful hobbit Merry Brandybuck, Monaghan was part of a
trilogy that earned billions, but also roared through the Oscars, running the table at this year's
ceremony. In addition to coming away from the experience with fame and adoration, Monaghan quickly
discovered he had been typecast.
''Generally the more pixie-type, Mogwai-kind, Furbee-variety of characters,'' the 26-year-old
says, explaining the roles he was offered. ''There's been an assumption from a lot of casting
directors that I'm a very sweet, cute, cuddly, non-threatening, non-offensive type of person. I think
generally I am and I do have that inside me . but there are other things about me that I want to show
people.''
For many viewers, ''Lost'' will provide the first chance to see the German-born, Manchester,
England native outside of Middle Earth. Monaghan plays Charlie, a member of a once-popular rock band
which had a flourish of fame before vanishing into obscurity. Charlie is skittish and needy and has
a host of other problems that are either revealed in the pilot or as the series progresses.
It's almost impossible not to read a healthy dose of Monaghan onto his character. Caught up in the
''Lord of the Rings'' phenomenon, but not as inextricably linked to it as an Elijah Wood or Viggo
Mortensen, he's still trying to deal with the fact that fans feel that it's acceptable to come up
to him in public and start touching him. Also, between lengthy location shoots for ''LotR'' in New
Zealand and his new gig in Hawaii, Monaghan is used to a certain sense of dislocation.
''There's a lot of stuff that goes on when you leave your home,'' Monaghan notes with a sigh.
''There're a lot of situations when you'd like to sit down with people and explain to them why you've
not been around or why you've not been able to make certain events or birthdays. The bottom line
is that I made the decision when I was 18 that my main drive for the foreseeable future was going
to be my career. It's the thing that drives me.''
A veteran of British television, including the long-running ''Hetty Wainthropp Investigates,''
Monaghan initially had reservations about returning to the small screen and making a potentially
lengthy commitment to a series. He quickly realized that ''Lost'' creators J.J. Abrams (''Alias'') and
Damon Lindelof were making a character that would let him stretch.
''I think we find Charlie at a crossroads in his life and I would like to see him struggle to work
out who he's going to be and how he's going to contribute to the group,'' he says.
Monaghan knows what he contributes to the ''Lost'' group. With dozens of mysteries still
unresolved after the two-part pilot, ''Lost'' has potential to become a cult favorite with fans every bit
as passionate as the devotees of Abrams' spy drama. If that happens, Monaghan is ready to help.
''I'm in this nice position of being aware of it and being able to tell some of the younger cast
members or some of the less experienced cast members that this potentially could be a life changing
thing,'' he says. ''It can get very crazy very quickly and if you don't have your wits about you,
you can really start to get lost.''
''Lost'' premiered at 8 p.m. Wednesday on ABC.
Copyright © 2004, The Morning Call
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Man! I've got to get this taped! The pilot 2nd half are sposeta air again on Saturday.... I've gotta see this!
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