All the world knows Dominic Monaghan as Merry Brandybuck, one of those brave li’l hobbits from the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Now he has another major hit on his hands with ABC’s Lost , the suspense drama about plane-crash survivors stranded on a desert isle where something even scarier than Jerri Manthey is roaming the forest. The 28-year-old Brit plays Charlie, the junkie rock star, whose tragic backstory is revealed tonight at 8 pm/ET. Yes, Charlie finally gets his very own flashback episode! Just before jetting off to Lost ‘s Hawaiian set, Monaghan sat down with TV Guide Online in Hollywood, where he lives during his downtime, to give us a juicy preview.

LOTR took you three years in New Zealand. Now you’re sequestered in Hawaii for Lost . When do you see your family? Or are ya on the run, like Kate? Dominic Monaghan: Yeah, kind of! But my parents are pretty much like me. They move around quite a lot. Right now, they’re living in Madrid. They’re not gypsies, but they’re traveling folk who like to move about. As kids, we moved every few years to different places in Europe. I think that’s what’s made me the type of guy who enjoys picking up his life and moving somewhere else. It’s no hardship for me living in new countries and getting used to different cultures. It keeps me alive and happy.

Seems like a good philosophy, since actors are journeymen who don’t always know where their next paycheck’s coming from. Monaghan: That’s totally true. If you get too connected to one place, you get in trouble because as soon as you move, you lose all those things you relied on to make you happy.

What do the words Charlie writes on his taped fingers mean? Which words have we seen so far? Monaghan: The first word we’ve seen was “fate.” The second word was “late.” Charlie’s an artist and a songwriter, so he expresses his feelings by writing stuff down.

Charlie’s faux band, Driveshaft ? are they pop, rock or death metal? Monaghan: They’re generic, poppy rock that’s not really changing the world. Charlie likes to think he’s close to The Verve . In truth, he’s probably closer to a British band called Ocean Colour Scene . They’re a one-hit wonder; their biggest hit was “The Riverboat Song.”

Is Charlie secretly connected to anyone else on the island? Monaghan: At this point, I don’t think so, but you never know. Right now, that doesn’t seem to be the case. He’s a loner on the island. I think every single one of those people are connected to each other in some way, though.

Why was Charlie in Australia… and were his band mates on the plane? Monaghan: No, they weren’t. You’re going to find out [tonight] why Charlie was in Australia. He went to see his brother, who lives in Sydney, and offered him a business proposition.

Who’s scarier: LOTR ‘s Gollum or Maggie Grace’s hateful Shannon? Monaghan: Right now Maggie’s character is pretty scary, but you’re gonna come to really like her. The reason she’s being the person that she is, is she’s gone through some hellish trials in her life. Hopefully, you’ll ultimately have a lot more sympathy for Maggie’s character.

Who’s prettier: Gollum or Maggie Grace? Monaghan: Are you kidding? Maggie Grace is beautiful . But I’ve got a lot of love for Gollum. I really feel for the guy. He’s as tortured by the ring as everyone else, and he’s one of the more human characters in the entire trilogy. Human beings by nature show weakness. Characters like Aragorn, Theoden and Legolas, who are supposedly humanlike, are the most un like humans, whereas Gollum wears it on his sleeve. I have empathy for him.

Back to Lost . You’ve finally got your own flashback episode tonight! Monaghan: What you know of Charlie, up to now, is that he’s got a drug addiction problem. You’re going to learn the genesis of where, why and how it began. We’ll also learn more about Charlie’s fears on the island. He becomes more well-rounded after this fifth episode because the audience will understand the substantial issues he’s been dealing with in life.

As an actor, it must be very flattering to have the spotlight on Charlie this week. Monaghan: It is, and up until this point, I didn’t feel Charlie had really contributed on the island. By the end of the episode, he saves the life of someone on the island. Even while he’s going through this terrible cold turkey, Charlie proves to himself and the others that he’s capable of coming through. He’s moving toward the person he’ll become when his drugs run out.

You all have amusing theories on what that thing in the forest is. Monaghan: My theory is that it’s an African elephant with about 35 cats attached to his body with Scotch tape. The cats are scratching him and he’s rampaging through the jungle, trying to get these cats off. [Cocreators and executive producers] J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof said I’m not too far off from the truth! So I think I get special brownie points for nearly hitting the nail on the head.

Clearly this elephant/cats scenario is the work of a criminal mastermind. Monaghan: That’s essentially what J.J. and Damon are!

TV Guide Online

Related posts:

1. Dominic Monaghan Goes from ‘LOTR’ to ‘Lost’
2. Castaway – Monaghan of “Lost” is no longer an innocent, furry-footed hobbit
3. Former Hobbit Is Far from ‘Lost’
4. ‘Lost’ Castaways Face Their Darkest Fears
5. From ‘Hobbit’ to TV habit

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