Lost's druggie a soft guy in real life

He plays a druggie castaway on a blockbuster television show.

But in real life, Lost star Dominic Monaghan is a keen environmentalist who bought an Indian mango farm to save it from destruction, and was even upset when his pet spider died last year.

"All these supposed problems that we have are going to pale in insignificance when we all die because of how we treat our planet," said the 28-year-old actor, who bought the farm in Bangalore, India, in 2003.

"It seems really bizarre that people are hung up on other issues when essentially we're kind of careening out of control with our world.

"It's kind of an obsession of mine."

Monaghan, who plays tormented druggie Charlie Pace in Lost, which revolves around castaways fighting for survival on an island after a plane crash, has owned pet snakes, scorpions, spiders and cockroaches in the past.

His pet black widow spider died last year.

"It was a very painful day for me but I got through it," said Monaghan, who is now also looking at doing some work for the Discovery Channel.

"Spiders don't tend to live more than a couple of years."

Berlin born and Manchester raised, he may soon add the title fashion designer to his resume.

Monaghan, who also played hobbit Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, said he constantly had trouble finding the right T-shirt size.

"It's always - especially in America - large or extra large or extra extra large," he said.

"They're all big people.

"(So) I was fooling around for awhile last year with ideas for a t-Shirt company."

In Australia, Lost averages about two million viewers a week and is one of the year's most popular shows.

"I never really thought that it would get any bigger than it has been in America," said Monaghan, who is in Australia on a world tour to promote the program.

"But we went to France where it was blowing up, and Germany where it was insane and then we came here."

He said Charlie, a faded rock star who later becomes a murderer, was a "challenge to play".

14 July 2005

["National Nine News" on NineMSN, Australia.]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=55298