Dominic Monaghan: The Hottest Guy on TV's Lost

Where He's From, Who He's Dating, and What's Tattooed on His Shoulders

Wanda Leibowitz, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Sep 20, 2006 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

Dominic Monaghan is the charming actor who portrays Charlie Pace, the rock musician and former heroin addict, on NBC's hit show Lost. Dominic Monaghan landed his first major role while still attending college, when he was cast as Geoffrey Shawcross, the lovable sidekick in the BBC mystery series Hetty Wainthrop Investigates. The fan base for this unique actor exploded when he appeared as Merry in The Lord Of The Rings film trilogy. Now that he's managed a third hit with Lost, Dominic Monaghan is becoming a household name as both a heartthrob, and a major talent.

1. Dominic Monaghan originally auditioned for the role of Sawyer on Lost. The producers knew he wasn't right for the part, but liked his performance so much that they re-imagined Charlie specifically for him. Charlie was initially meant to be in his mid-40s, but they tweaked the storyline to make a place for Dominic Monaghan on the show.

2. Lost wasn't the first time that Dominic Monaghan auditioned for one role and got another; he first read for the Lord of the Rings creative team in the role of Frodo Baggins.

3. Although he spent most of his life in Manchester, England, and currently splits his time between Los Angeles, California and Oahu, Hawaii, Dominic Monaghan was actually born and spent part of his youth in Germany, in the city of Berlin. He speaks fluent German.

4. Dominic Monaghan believes Australians are "the most honest people in the world." Or, at least he said he believed that immediately after an Australian returned Dom's lost wallet, complete with all cards and cash intact.

5. In interviews, Dominic Monaghan names John Lennon as his personal idol. However, the Beatles are not necessarily his favorite band; for that honor, he's also cited Interpol and Coldplay.

6. Dominic Monaghan is romantically linked to Lost co-star Evangeline Lilly (Kate). Dominic Monaghan has stated that when he first met Lilly, he was "really charmed." Rumors have spread that they are engaged, although neither he nor Evangeline Lilly have officially commented on the subject.

7. A wide variety of unusual pets have shared a home with Dominic Monaghan. He keeps a chameleon and several lizards, and has at various points owned a black widow spider, multiple Egyptian scorpions, and an albino garter snake.

8. Dominic Monaghan has three tattoos. On the top of his left foot, he has two stars, one in black ink, and one in white. On his left shoulder, he has the phrase "Living is easy with eyes closed," a quote from the Beatles classic "Strawberry Fields." On his right shoulder, he as the number nine written in Elvish. All the actors who played members of the Fellowship in the Lord of the Rings films, (except John Rhys-Davies, who sent his stunt double instead!), got matching Elvish "nine" tattoos towards the end of the filming.

9. Before becoming a full-time actor, Dominic Monaghan made ends meet by sorting mail at a Post Office.

10. An avid environmentalist, Dominic Monaghan is an active participant in the Carbon Neutral/Future Forests campaign, which asks people to offset the environmental impact of their driving habits by donating to increase the size of the world's forests, which purify the air of carbon emissions. Dominic Monaghan personally owns a large parcel of forest land in India, which he is devoted to protecting and preserving for its own sake, and for the sake of the quality of the air around the world. Learn more about Carbon Neutral at the website http://www.carbonneutral.com/

Published by Wanda Leibowitz

My writing has been published in print, recorded on audio CD, and performed onstage, but there's nothing quite like working for the web. I love the freedom, flexibility, and fast pace of writing for AC. View profile

Dominic Monaghan: The Hottest Guy on TV's Lost

Where He's From, Who He's Dating, and What's Tattooed on His Shoulders

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