**text taken fromLord Of The Rings: Official Movie Guide**
		"When the story begins," explains Dominic Monaghan, "Merry is in the prome of his life, he's having fun and he's well liked. He's really just one of the lads. Then, as the journey unfolds, he finds himself in situations where he has to look after people or make decisions that a hobbit would never normally have to make." Monaghan plays Merry (full name: Mariadoc Brandybuck), second cousin and childhood companion of Frodo Baggins. It is Merry, along with Pippin and Sam, who helps Frodo when he sets out on his dangerous journey, during which Merry becomes part of the Fellowship of the Ring and has many adventures before the story and the quest reach their dramatic conclusion. Describing his character (and that of Pippin), Monaghan says: "Merry and Pippin comes across as vibrant characters. Frodo is weighed 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 i the pack and the spice in the Fellowship." Monaghan (who at 5'7" is "officially the tallest hobbit") went directly from his sixth-form college in Cheshire to work in youth theaters in Manchester. Spotted by an agent, he was given the role of Geoffrey Shawcross in the BBC television series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates. Playing the juvenile sidekick to the doughty senior-citizen detective portrayed by Patricia Routledge led to other television roles, a film debut alongside Rutger Hauer and Martin Sheen in Hostile Waters, and an invitation to audition for The Lord Of The Rings. He was already an admirer of Tolkien's books, to which he had been introduced by his schoolteacher father: "My dad's a big fan of Tolkien. He used to go on and on about what a great book was and how Bilbo Baggins was such a fantastic character. Once I'd read The Hobbit, he gave me The Lord Of The Rings, saying that it was a challenge, but was well worth reading. He was right: it is a challenge, because it's so big and huge and vast, but it's well worth it! "Auditioning for The Lord Of The Rings," recalls Monaghan, "I was really excited and really nervous." Monaghan was rehearsing for a play in London when he was invited to audition for the film. For him, the project was the Holy Grail. While trying to calm himself down about potentially being involved, Monaghan landed a lead role in Monsignor Renard in France, starring John Thaw. Nearly six months later, he was offered the part of Merry, a role with which he feels particularly at ease: "I think that Merry is well known in the Shire: he's charming and cheeky, and I imagine that all the hobbit mothers probably pretend to be annoyed by him but really like him!" Which is something Monaghan experienced a great deal while growing up.
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