Kicking the Hobbit

He came to fame for his furry feet, but Dominic Monaghan now stars in hit TV show Lost . He chats to Alex Rayner about rock singers, creepy pets and life beyond Middle-Earth.

Did you take the part of Charlie on Lost as a way to shake off your hobbit character?
Wel, it was important that I try to be known for something besides Merry Brandybuck, especially in America. I also really wanted to play someone contemporary. Half the time, though, I still get recognised as Merry, rather than Charlie.

The casting for Lost was quite strange, wasn't it? The show's makers didn't have a clear idea of the character when you met them, did they?
No. They had an idea of Charlie, but he was going to be around 50 years old, someone who's had success and has been spat out the other side - more like Keith Richards. They asked me to come and meet them anyway, and my pitch was, "Wouldn't it be more interesting if this guy had only the merest glimpse of fame, and had the rug pulled from under his feet just as he was getting successful?" That explains all the angst and anger. So, in the casting, I actually pitched the part as well.

What do you think of Charlie? He's a strange guy with lots of problems.
Yeah, he's not like me. Charlie is very insecure and weak, he doesn't really know what to do, and he needs help. I feel I'm a different guy from that. But he's also adorable and lovable, probably because he is so weak.

Did you base your performance on any real rock singers?
When Charlie was high on heroin, I used to think he was similar to Richard Ashcroft, the lead singer of The Verve. He was kinda moody for no reason, knew he was cool and didn't really care if no one else thought he was.

Was there anyone else?
When he's off drugs, Charlie's more of a comical Liam Gallagher, but not quite, because Liam is too hard to understand. It's no coincidence that Charlie's brother is called Liam. There's a great scene in the first season when Liam and Charlie are having an argument in Australia. It's based on a conversation the Gallaghers had, which was captured on a record called Wibbling Rivalry. Liam says their band is all about Moët & Chandon and birds and staying up late, while Noel says "No, it's all about the music." I said to [Lost's producers] that they had to put that in the script. That's the key with Charlie and his brother. Liam is all about getting high and shagging girls, and Charlie isn't.

Have you witnessed much drug abuse first-hand?
Well, I've been around drugs, though I've never done heroin and I've not been around junkies or people using needles, either. I've been in environments in nightlubs where there have been drugs. I have friends who've been addicted to heroin, and I'm a big Beatles fan, so I know about John Lennon and his cold turkey. Somebody asked me in an earlier interview whether I tried heroin for the part in Lost. Of course I said no. I told him that, with all the research I've done and all the friends that I've chatted to, I've only ever heard bad stories about heroin.

Is it true you like quite creepy pets?
Yeah. When I was a kid I was allergic to fur, so we weren't allowed to have dogs and cats. The next best things were snakes, lizards, and tortoises. Since then I've had scorpions and spiders, centipedes and salamanders. I think we can learn more from wild animals than domesticated animals. We buy dogs and then try to make them more like us, but I like to be around an animal that behaves like an animal. My chameleon is happy just sitting in the sun.

Which other cast members like them?
Matthew [who plays Jack] and Josh [Sawyer] don't like them. Most other people are pretty cool though. Yun-jin [Sun] is fine with spiders and stuff. Even if someone recoils when they see a spider, within two or three minutes, I can get them to hold it.

Why does Charlie have writing on his finger bandages?
It all happened in the pilot. We were filming just after the crash, and I said to the writers, "I've got nothiing wrong with me, not a scratch. What if Charlie grabs his seatbelt and he cuts his hand?" So we put these four bandages on my fingers. Then we were fooling about with them. I wrote 'lost' then 'late' then 'fate'. And then, the week after, Charlie was feeling hungry, so it was 'pâté' on there.

Haven't you also written a film?
Yeah, I wrote it with Billy Boyd [his fellow hobbit from Lord of the Rings]. We've been writing for two or three years now. You know those old "Road to …" movies with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope? It's like one of those. It's about two guys coming together to do something they can't do without the other guy. It's a simple comedy caper.

On a show like Lost, what are the biggest challenges that an actor is presented with?
The biggest challenge, when working very long hours on an ensemble cast show, is getting on with your fellow cast members. You have to juggle the politics of 15 other people. You're in the same group, every day, for 16 hours.

How tired are you of each other during the nine months it takes to shoot a series?
I'm a professional, so it doesn't bother me. I enjoy my time off and really enjoy work. I like being around people most of the time. It'a a very high-stress job though, and on my days off I see certain members of the cast and I don't see others. I think we're like a family. Some people get on, some people don't; some people love each other, some people don't. Ultimately we're moving towards the same goal. Hopefully we all feel the same way about that goal.

Lost - The complete second season is out now on DVD

Hotline (Virgin trains' guide to onboard audio, shopping and safety) Oct-Dec 06, P 44-45

Transcription by Alassenya.