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Dominic plays Merry: a friend to
Frodo and one of the fun-loving hobbits of the Shire who joins Frodo and
Sam on their journey. It is said that Dominic is the tallest hobbit
at 5' 7". "I think that Merry is well-known in the Shire: he's charming
and cheeky and I imagine
Apparently he wore a 'fat suit' made of foam for his character and had to drink three liters of water a day so he would not dehydrate. "Merry and Pippin come across as vibrant characters. Frodo is weighted down by the mission he's got to undertake and Sam is terribly serious about doing his job, but these two are really the wild cards in the pack and the spice in the Fellowship."
Dominic was born on December 8, 1976 in Berlin and
moved to England at the age of 12. He became interested in films
after seeing Star Wars at the age of six. He is best known for
the British television drama Hetty Wainthropp Investigates. Other
television and film credits include This Is Personal: The Hunt for the
Yorkshire Ripper and Monsignor Renard. Some of Dominic's
other interests include writing, music, fashion,
On Merry and Pippin's strong friendship, "For Merry, losing Pippin is like losing his strength, the other side of his personality." Dominic was given The Lord of the Rings book to him by his father when he was 15, who said: 'I'll give you six months to read it.' Dominic read it in two months. "I won't miss having to stand for two hours at 4:30 a.m. and having freezing cold glue applied to my feet. I won't miss two-hour drives to work or long, long, long, days sitting in my trailer waiting... waiting... waiting. I won't miss glue in my ears. But I would do it all again tomorrow."
Dominic & Merry sites: The Big One! : Dominic Monaghan: The Unofficial Site
Farwell we call to hearth and hall! Though wind may blow and rain may fall, We must away ere break of day Far over wood and mountain tall. To Rivendell, where Elves yet dwell In glades beneath the misty fell, Through moor and waste we ride in haste, And whither then we cannot tell. With foes ahead, behind us dread, Beneath the sky shall be our bed, Until at last our toil be passed, Our journey done, our errand sped. We must away! We must away! We ride before the break of day! ~Merry & Pippin's Song.
"Hobbit Talk" ~ A conversation with Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd.
From The Lord of the Rings: The Making
of the Movie Trilogy by Brain Sibley. Q: How do Merry and Pippin develop as the story unfolds?
Dom: Basically they are forced to grow
up - grow older - a lot quicker than, as hobbits, they normally would...
And, in doing so, they learn to embrace what's happening to them...
Billy: Even though Pippin also matures, he still finds a time and a place for humour. The difference is that whereas in the first movie he's a source of unconscious comedy, it's something he grows to understand; to begin with, he doesn't know that the things he's doing are funny, later he says things to intentionally lighten the mood...
Dom: Actually, it was a bit of a
'group-project', getting Merry and Pippin to grow up!
Billy: And the armour worn by the men (and hobbit) of Gondor was fantastic! Dom: But not as good as that of Rohan! Billy: You say that, Dom, but I did notice the girls on set looking at me quite differently when I had my Gondorian uniform on... Dom: Hmmm...
Billy: Everyone changed! And, because we were so close, everyone borrowed from each other - took on some of those qualities that we respected and admired in other people...
Dom: I'm sure that in casting us all they
must have asked themselves: 'Can these people survive this ordeal?' Do
they have the strength of character go get through a year and a half together?'
But we did! Elijah was inspiring because he was so incredibly
resilient and hard-working; Ian McKellen was like a father figure to
whom you'd turn for advice;
Viggo Billy: And Dom always made the girls feel good in a special way! No idea how he did it!
Dom: Peter was a good judge of character:
sensing that this group could work together and complement one another -
not for four or five weeks but, by the time we're finally done, four or five
years... Please continue for more of Billy and Dominic's interview... More photos of Billy and Dominic can be found in my Photo Gallery.
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Meriadoc Brandybuck ~
Dominic Monaghan.
that all the hobbit mothers probably pretend
to be annoyed by him, but really like him!"
playing and watching soccer and surfing. In early 2003,
he bought a forest in India to help protect the environment.
Merry becomes a
lot more serious and thoughtful and, later, although, he becomes incredibly
damaged, psychologically by the war, he finds a courage that surprises even
him...
Make-up and costume helped a lot - especially wearing
armour: the moment you put on gauntlets, strap on a breastplate and start
carrying a sword, you not only stand and walk differently, you feel
different...
Q: What about Dominic and Billy? Did you feel
that you changed or developed?
was such a strong, powerful character
who was always there for people; Bill always made people feel good
making them laugh, and-
