From playing TV detective Hetty Wainthrop's sidekick to being one of the saviours of Middle-earth, the last few years have been a wild ride for Manchester's Dominic Monaghan. Now based in LA, the man who plays Merry in "Lord of the Rings" hopes the best is still yet to come...
Did you have any doubts about committing so much time to "The Lord of the Rings"?
To be honest, it didn't cross my mind, I was just so happy when I was offered the role. I'd be really nervous going to auditions, convinced that I wouldn't get it, so when I was offered the chance to play Merry I was delighted. It's a dream, I can't even begin to tell you how my life has changed since doing this job. It changed at that moment when I said "Yes" to Peter Jackson. It's incredible.
But there must be a downside to it as well, isn't there?
The only things that depresses you a little bit when you start on something like this is knowing that your friendships are going to be a little bit askew for the next few years, and you'll have to work harder to stay in touch with your mum and dad and family.
All those dynamics change, you just hope that people close to you appreciate why you've done it, that you're just trying to do your own thing and make something for yourself. All my friends have been brilliant about it.
You must be aware that being involved in these films means you've become part of movie history...
That's weird, that's something that I don't honestly know if I have dealt with. I remember going back to Manchester and so many people said to me, "You've made it, you've made it." That made me laugh, because I never want to feel like I've made it. I want to always feel like I need to keep working and need to keep doing stuff.
We're all very small cogs in this huge beast that Peter has put together. You can get overawed by it, but it's his movie and his work. We were just people that he hired to help him realise the finished product.
"Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" opens in UK cinemas on Wednesday 18th December 2002.
