Dominic Monaghan Reflects On The Lord Of The Rings' 20th Anniversary

Actor Dominic Monaghan, who played the Hobbit Merry in The Lord of the Rings, has shared his thoughts on the 20th anniversary of the film series that catapulted him to a new level of success. Speaking to GameSpot, Monaghan said he had a great time working on the three films in New Zealand years ago, but he doesn't spend too much time these days thinking about the movies or the impending 20th anniversary.

And he doesn't re-watch them.

"I don't think about it that much. I don't know how healthy it is for me to think about it or dwell on it that much," Monaghan said. "Obviously when I was working on the project I loved it, and I had the experience and the experience has obviously dictated huge parts of my life. But I've not seen Lord of the Rings for probably a good 15 years or so, and I'm not sure when I would or what the reason behind watching it would be."

"As an actor, you should be so lucky to be involved in one project in your entire career that hits" -- Dominic Monaghan on The Lord of the Rings

Monaghan also remarked that he feels fortunate to have been involved in a production that is so beloved. All three The Lord of the Rings movies won Oscars, after all, with Return of the King sweeping the Academy Awards with 11 total wins, including Best Picture.

"It's crazy to be involved with something that's 20 years old. Because obviously it ages you significantly and really, really freaks you out; it freaks out your parents. It's great. As an actor, you should be so lucky to be involved in one project in your entire career that hits, let alone being involved in a trilogy that became a cultural icon of movie history in so many ways," Monaghan said. "So I'm reminded of it a lot. I'm obviously still great friends with a lot of the guys in it. It's great. It's great to do a film that I am proud of, that I think is great, that I think stands the test of time."

But Monaghan doesn't re-watch the movies as often as some fans might because he lived the experience of making the movies, and now they are in the hands of fans.

"I think in a lot of ways it's a film for everyone else. It's not a film for me. I was in it. I had the experience. I loved it. And now the audience gets to breathe their own life into it," he said.

Monaghan hasn't completely moved on from The Lord of the Rings, however, as he hosts a podcast with fellow Hobbit Billy Boyd (Pippin) called The Friendship Onion. It is not strictly a Lord of the Rings podcast, but Monaghan and Boyd do frequently discuss the fantasy series, and previous guests have included Lord of the Rings stars like Elijah Wood (Frodo) and Sean Astin (Sam).

The Fellowship of the Ring premiered in theaters in December 2001, so its 20th anniversary is right around the corner. The fantasy series remains very popular, with Amazon making a big-budget TV show for 2022 and Warner Bros. fast-tracking an animated feature. Additionally, a 31-disc The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit 4K collector's set is releasing soon. A Lord of the Rings game focused on Gollum, meanwhile, is slated for release in 2022.

Monaghan's next role is the Nazi villain Jannick Richter in Call of Duty: Vanguard, which releases on November 5. Check back soon with GameSpot for our full interview with Monaghan in which he talks about Call of Duty, the motion-capture process, The Lord of the Rings, and what it's like as an actor playing good guys and villains.