No more Mr. Nice Hobbit.

Dominic Monaghan, the beloved Merry Brandybuck in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, stars as Charlie, a one-hit-wonder musician turned drug addict, in “Lost” (tonight at 8 on WCVB, Ch. 5). What the Frodo is going on here?

“I struggled for the past three or four years or so with most of the people internationally knowing me as a very cute, adorable, sweet-hearted, nonthreatening kind of boy,” Monaghan said in a recent telephone interview.

“I felt I could show a little bit more than that. And `Lost’ came along, and this is a great way to show the people that loved me in `Lord of the Rings’ that I can do something different, and that not only can I do something different, but ultimately the thing that I do different is something that they love even more.”

Call it career damage control. “You can’t punish an audience because they loved the character that you last played,” he said. “You have to invest in the fact that the films did so well, that everybody loves you as Merry and be respectful of that and move on to something else.

“I never resented it. I just realized, as a career choice, I can’t be playing sweet-hearted, fantasylike characters in the next few movies that I do. I’ve already played that beat, and I have to now show them that I can do something else.”

His meeting with executive producer J.J. Abrams convinced him that “Lost,” a one-hour drama about 48 passengers who survive a plane crash, was not your typical television fare.

“This seemed to be a new break in television. It made me think, `Wow, these guys are really trying to push the medium a little bit, and I should get involved with it.’

He’s not surprised that the series has become one of the breakout hits of the season.

“I don’t think I would get involved with something I didn’t think people would watch. Everybody talked about the show being a big risk, but I don’t really see it as a big risk. It was a calculated risk.”

Monaghan earned a fellowship of fans from the “Rings” trilogy, and a quick search of the Web reveals a plethora of sites dedicated to him.

“I try to stay away from it as much as I can,” he said. “I’m aware of some of it, but I think it’s kind of unhealthy to be scoping around, checking out how many people are talking about your new haircut.”

Growing up in Manchester, England, Monaghan knew at an early age that he wanted to be an actor.

“I saw `Star Wars’ when I was 6 or 7 years old, and I just fell in love with it. I fell in love with the feeling that it gave me, and the emotion that it stirred up in my brain and in my heart. Harrison Ford as Han Solo was just the coolest guy I could ever possibly imagine, and to get anywhere near to that feeling of being that guy was what I really wanted to do.”

The proud owner of a pet black widow spider, Monaghan hopes to use his fame to promote environmental causes.

“I’ve been around wild animals all my life. As kids, we had snakes, lizards, bugs, beetles. We loved going to the zoos. I want to give something back to (show) how much enjoyment I’ve got from these animals over the years.”

“Lost” films on location in Hawaii, which has brought the sprawling 14-member cast closer. “Everyone is experiencing the same thing. We’re all involved in a TV show that is blowing up right now. Some people have been involved with big successful projects before. Some people, it’s their first job, and some people are scared, some people are excited. We just all help each other out and try to give each other advice, try to keep everyone’s feet on the ground. We support each other.”

Boston Herald

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