ABC 'Lost' actor finds what he hoped after 'Rings'

After his role as Merry, life was tough for the Brit.
By TERRY MORROW
SCRIPPS HOWARD
When Dominic Monaghan came zooming back from Middle Earth, he hit with a resounding thud.
"My first year in Los Angeles was pretty hellish," says the British actor who played Merry in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. "I came over here after the high point of 'Lord of the Rings,' and I saw all my friends jumping around to jobs, and I had nothing."
He's found work now. The 28-year-old is co-starring in the ABC series "Lost" (8 tonight), the latest action ride from J.J. Abrams ("Alias").
The expansive cast also includes Matthew Fox ("Party of Five") and Ian Somerhalder ("Rules of Attraction").
Monaghan plays Charlie, an ex-rock star with a jones for heroin. Unfortunately for Charlie, he's stuck on a remote island after a plane crash and has no hope of being rescued anytime soon.
The island's jungle has its own dangers. Mysterious creatures with a taste for the survivors are lurking and ready to pounce.
To say Charlie has seen better days is an understatement. Monaghan can relate to that piece of the character when his career was basically on hold for a year.
"My manager at the time was not doing anything for me, and I kind of got into a little bit of a funk. I was living in a [lousy] house in a [bad] part of town. I didn't have a car, and living in LA without a car, well, is difficult," Monaghan says.
"I couldn't get a car because I didn't have an American bank account and could not get credit. It's harder to get [good] credit [in America] than what you might think. So at that point, I was just hanging out at my place all day, playing Grand Theft Auto III. I was waiting for the phone I didn't have to ring."
The journey from Merry to Charlie was an unusual one for Monaghan. He never expected to find himself "Lost."
"It's hard to imagine that this was happening to someone who was in one of the biggest movies of the year before," he recalls. "But I would not give up that time for anything in the world.
"I remember writing in my journal that I was going through this growing experience because of it. I came back down to Earth with a bump."
After Monaghan got new management, he started finding work. He says he was on the lookout for more movie roles when the script for "Lost" came his way. The part of the tortured Charlie intrigued him.
"The frustration of Charlie's situation means he has a lot going on in his head," Monaghan says. "He lives in his head quite a lot. He's a drug addict, and drug addicts, by nature, are a selfish lot. It's a little like life imitating art. I'm not there now, but I can remember what it was like being a little bit out there on a limb."
Born in Germany and raised in Manchester, England, Monaghan gained fame through "Rings."
"Lost," his first major American series, is shot in Hawaii, forcing him to uproot again. But this time, the bachelor says, the move is to paradise.
"I've always had itching feet," he says. "I like being on the move every couple of years."