This story is part of I’m So Obsessed (subscribe here), our podcast featuring interviews with actors, artists, celebrities and creative types about their work, career and current obsessions.
Some actors are lucky to get cast in a single film or TV series. Others are fortunate to be cast in a show or movie that is well-regarded. But it’s rare for actors to be a part of a series or film that becomes a cultural touchpoint. And then there’s Dominic Monaghan, who has been in multiple iconic films and series.
You probably know him best as Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. He also played Charles Pace in the show Lost and was in films like X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
His latest project is the new AMC Plus series Moonhaven, which takes place a 100 years in the future in a Utopian colony on a moon. He plays Paul Serno, a detective who rarely has work because the colony is peaceful, until it’s not.
“These people have created a kind of Eden like heaven. For two or three generations there are no crimes, everyone pulls together as a community and helps each other out,” Monaghan said on CNET’s I’m So Obsessed podcast. “When we meet the protagonist, they have for the first time to explore some rather grisly crimes that have not occurred on the moon for a long, long time.”
Monaghan shared that it was Moonhaven’s optimistic depiction of the future that initially drew him to the show.
“I like this idea that the future is better,” Monaghan said. “I probably live my life that way. I wake up most mornings and think that my days are improving and that I’m walking into a better future for myself personally and for the planet.”
Moonhaven airs exclusively on AMC Plus with new episodes dropping on Thursdays. You can listen to my entire interview with Monaghan in the podcast player above. He talks about playing Professor James Moriarty in a reimagined Sherlock Holmes series on Audible called Moriarty: The Devils Game. And he helps us design a menu for a Lord of the Rings-themed party. Hint: It involves a lot of pork.
Subscribe to I’m So Obsessed on your favorite podcast app. In each episode, Connie Guglielmo and I catch up with an artist, actor or creator to learn about their work, career and current obsessions.
