Billy Boyd (Pippin) and Dominic Monaghan (Merry) are the Abbott and Costello of The Lord of the Rings cast. They’re writing a comedy for themselves to star in, and if it captures even half the humour of their interview, they’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.

National Post: Billy, you starred in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. What was it like?

D: Last night I was congratulated on Master and Commander. They said, “I very much enjoyed Master and Commander.” I said, “So did I.” I’ve been asked to sign pictures of Billy. I was asked by a Japanese journalist, what is the melody of your character.
B: What do you say to that?
D: G sharp.
B: The happiest of all keys.
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There’ve been plenty of amazing transformations during the making of Lord of the Rings . Rural landscapes have turned into bustling villages. Mild-mannered extras have been done over as snarling Orcs. Oscar-nominated actors have gone toe-to-toe with dazzling special effects.

But perhaps nothing connected with director Peter Jackson’s trilogy has undergone a more dramatic reworking than the lives of Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd.

Monaghan, a 23-year-old Brit, and Boyd, a 32-year-old Scot, were plucked from near obscurity to play happy-go-lucky Hobbits and Fellowship of the Ring members Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) and Peregrin Took (Pippin), respectively.
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