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12-02-04, 03:22 AM
From www.usatoday.com/life/tel...ghan_x.htm (http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-11-30-lost-monaghan_x.htm) :
'Lost' viewers are addicted to him
By Bill Keveney, USA TODAY
The Lord of the Rings movies and ABC's Lost are divergent tales, but they have more in common than meets the eye. Both are runaway hits. Each features filming on a verdant Pacific island that allows for adventurous off-day activities.
Dominic Monaghan proves he's no one-hit wonder in his role as drug-addled Charlie in the ABC hit Lost.
ABC
"I love having the opportunity to surf," says Dominic Monaghan, 27, speaking from Hawaii, where he is part of the Lost ensemble.
And, of course, both share Monaghan — who came to renown as the hobbit Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in the Tolkien trilogy — and his exceptionally devoted fan base.
That last common point has been a boon for Lost (tonight, 8 ET/PT), which drew its largest audience to date, 18.7 million viewers, for an episode Nov. 3 that focused on Monaghan's character, drug-addled Charlie. ABC says that's not a coincidence.
"We saw that over the summer, when we would do events. Dominic was mobbed by fans. They were burning up the Internet," says Lance Taylor, who oversees ABC's scripted shows.
For Monaghan, who was born in Berlin and grew up there and in England, some of the differences between the productions and characters offered special appeal. After becoming so identified as an adventurous hobbit paired with friend Pippin (Billy Boyd), Monaghan now plays a troubled rocker, one of 48 people stranded on an island after their plane breaks up in flight.
"It was important to me to choose something contemporary after the amount of fantasy stuff I've been involved with." Also, "I wanted something I knew was going to appeal to the audience."
He got that. Lost averages more than 17.5 million viewers, making it the second-most-popular new show of the season (behind ABC's Desperate Housewives).
Although some fans were skeptical when Monaghan chose a TV role, they quickly embraced Lost and the very different character of Charlie, says Cyndi Haulk, who runs The Dom Project (dominic-monaghan.us).
"I have not come across any Dominic fan who is not also a fan of Lost," says Haulk, 35, of Charlotte. "I know that many people started watching Lost because of Dominic's involvement, but I think people kept watching because it's genuinely good."
As much as Monaghan liked Lost's concept, he also admired the vision of one of its creators, J.J. Abrams (Alias). The feeling must have been mutual, because the Charlie character originally was to be a 45-year-old has-been rock star. With Monaghan in mind, the role was remade into a younger one-hit wonder.
Charlie's habit of writing such words as "FATE" and "LATE" on the tape on his fingers was inspired by Monaghan's own organizational technique. "I write on my hands, simply from a logistics point of view," Monaghan says.
In early episodes, Charlie has struggled with his drug problem and his identity, gaining self-esteem by rescuing Jack (Matthew Fox) and discarding his drugs in the Nov. 3 show.
That episode also revealed Charlie to have been a religious young man devoted to music who was pulled to the rock world's dark side by his now-reformed brother. (Another Charlie flashback episode is in the works, possibly for February.)
While battling his drug problem, Charlie has formed an intriguing relationship with mystery man Locke (Terry O'Quinn). That addiction will remain a struggle, Monaghan says.
"It will be quite a tough thing to go through," he says, adding that the show's early prime-time spot limits some graphic elements. "It's tough to show as much of the heroin addiction withdrawal as I would like to."
Charlie also has bonded with the pregnant Claire (Emilie de Ravin). The pair face a harrowing situation Dec. 8, although Monaghan won't discuss details. About the only detail he'll reveal is that a main character will die before season's end.
Monaghan is enjoying Hawaii, where he resides with his pet chameleon, Karma. He likes his Lost colleagues, but he generally keeps to himself off set.
He still retains close ties with his Lord of the Rings mates, with whom he spent three years filming in New Zealand. Orlando Bloom sent him a Christmas present, and Boyd and Elijah Wood will visit him during the Christmas hiatus.
But that's still weeks off, and after this interview, a beautiful day off in Hawaii awaits. What's an actor/hobbit/rocker to do?
"I'm going to go for a surf."
Considering that in the next episode Ethan claims he will kill one of them (meaning Charlie and Claire), and Dominic mentions, in relation to Dec. 8's episode, that someone will die before season's end, I don't think things bode too well for Claire...or maybe Dom's trying to throw people off?
'Lost' viewers are addicted to him
By Bill Keveney, USA TODAY
The Lord of the Rings movies and ABC's Lost are divergent tales, but they have more in common than meets the eye. Both are runaway hits. Each features filming on a verdant Pacific island that allows for adventurous off-day activities.
Dominic Monaghan proves he's no one-hit wonder in his role as drug-addled Charlie in the ABC hit Lost.
ABC
"I love having the opportunity to surf," says Dominic Monaghan, 27, speaking from Hawaii, where he is part of the Lost ensemble.
And, of course, both share Monaghan — who came to renown as the hobbit Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in the Tolkien trilogy — and his exceptionally devoted fan base.
That last common point has been a boon for Lost (tonight, 8 ET/PT), which drew its largest audience to date, 18.7 million viewers, for an episode Nov. 3 that focused on Monaghan's character, drug-addled Charlie. ABC says that's not a coincidence.
"We saw that over the summer, when we would do events. Dominic was mobbed by fans. They were burning up the Internet," says Lance Taylor, who oversees ABC's scripted shows.
For Monaghan, who was born in Berlin and grew up there and in England, some of the differences between the productions and characters offered special appeal. After becoming so identified as an adventurous hobbit paired with friend Pippin (Billy Boyd), Monaghan now plays a troubled rocker, one of 48 people stranded on an island after their plane breaks up in flight.
"It was important to me to choose something contemporary after the amount of fantasy stuff I've been involved with." Also, "I wanted something I knew was going to appeal to the audience."
He got that. Lost averages more than 17.5 million viewers, making it the second-most-popular new show of the season (behind ABC's Desperate Housewives).
Although some fans were skeptical when Monaghan chose a TV role, they quickly embraced Lost and the very different character of Charlie, says Cyndi Haulk, who runs The Dom Project (dominic-monaghan.us).
"I have not come across any Dominic fan who is not also a fan of Lost," says Haulk, 35, of Charlotte. "I know that many people started watching Lost because of Dominic's involvement, but I think people kept watching because it's genuinely good."
As much as Monaghan liked Lost's concept, he also admired the vision of one of its creators, J.J. Abrams (Alias). The feeling must have been mutual, because the Charlie character originally was to be a 45-year-old has-been rock star. With Monaghan in mind, the role was remade into a younger one-hit wonder.
Charlie's habit of writing such words as "FATE" and "LATE" on the tape on his fingers was inspired by Monaghan's own organizational technique. "I write on my hands, simply from a logistics point of view," Monaghan says.
In early episodes, Charlie has struggled with his drug problem and his identity, gaining self-esteem by rescuing Jack (Matthew Fox) and discarding his drugs in the Nov. 3 show.
That episode also revealed Charlie to have been a religious young man devoted to music who was pulled to the rock world's dark side by his now-reformed brother. (Another Charlie flashback episode is in the works, possibly for February.)
While battling his drug problem, Charlie has formed an intriguing relationship with mystery man Locke (Terry O'Quinn). That addiction will remain a struggle, Monaghan says.
"It will be quite a tough thing to go through," he says, adding that the show's early prime-time spot limits some graphic elements. "It's tough to show as much of the heroin addiction withdrawal as I would like to."
Charlie also has bonded with the pregnant Claire (Emilie de Ravin). The pair face a harrowing situation Dec. 8, although Monaghan won't discuss details. About the only detail he'll reveal is that a main character will die before season's end.
Monaghan is enjoying Hawaii, where he resides with his pet chameleon, Karma. He likes his Lost colleagues, but he generally keeps to himself off set.
He still retains close ties with his Lord of the Rings mates, with whom he spent three years filming in New Zealand. Orlando Bloom sent him a Christmas present, and Boyd and Elijah Wood will visit him during the Christmas hiatus.
But that's still weeks off, and after this interview, a beautiful day off in Hawaii awaits. What's an actor/hobbit/rocker to do?
"I'm going to go for a surf."
Considering that in the next episode Ethan claims he will kill one of them (meaning Charlie and Claire), and Dominic mentions, in relation to Dec. 8's episode, that someone will die before season's end, I don't think things bode too well for Claire...or maybe Dom's trying to throw people off?