Shooting ABC’s new J.J. Abrams series “Lost” in Hawaii affords actor Dominic Monaghan a chance to do some of his favorite hobbies.

Surfing is one, says the German-born actor best known for his role as hobbit Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. “We didn’t get an awful lot of time off, but when we did, we were in the water in Waikiki, which is busy.”

Also, he got a black widow spider. “Which I think is illegal,” he says. “I’m a fan of bugs. I’m a fan of wild animals in general and had snakes and lizards when I was a kid and would go out and catch insects and bugs and become more interested in the insects and bugs. I do sound like a geek, don’t I?”
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Ali, Glasgow: “What’s your favourite Merry scene from the trilogy?” DM: “The scene where Merry explains to Pippin in the Two Towers that now they are on this journey and they can’t turn back and their home is never going to be the same again.”

Jenny Stubbs, Staffordshire: “Were there any scenes that other actors got that you would have liked to film yourself?” DM: “Lots of Viggo’s battle scenes, and I have always been in awe of Sir Ian Holm so to be in Elijah’s shoes would have been great.”

J, Hants: “Which famous person would you most like to discover had a LOTR cut-out of you in their home?” DM: “Kylie Minogue or David Beckham.”
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Oscar nominations are all well and good, but Lord Of The Rings actor, Dominic Monaghan, has other things on his mind.

For, while bookies and movie critics debate how many awards Return Of The King is going win at the Hollywood ceremony later this month, the Stockport-born actor is already thinking about his next role.

Over the past three years, Dominic’s face has been plastered across billboards around the country as hobbit Merry Brandybuck. But it seems his real ambition is to play a much different type of legend – Eric Cantona!
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Question: Being together day and night for the past few years, have you become close friends or do you actually hate each other ?

Boyd: It’s kind of both really.

Monaghan: We hate how much we like each other. We’re good friends you know. It’s not too difficult to be friends with someone when you’re having such a great time. There’s kind of an unspoken thing that goes on between us now. We know what we’ve all been through to get to this point. It’s an incredibly strong link.
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How do you follow up one of the most successful films of all time? If you’re a hobbit, you might experiment with memory-erasing technology, take up martial arts, or head straight for the unemployment line.

“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” the top-grossing film released in 2003, heads into this month’s Academy Awards fresh from a Golden Globes sweep. But you can’t stay in the Shire forever. So while the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy has made its Halfling stars ? Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd ? household names, the actors are looking ahead to new projects. So what lies ahead for everyone’s favorite hobbits?
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