Why Dominic Monaghan was a perfect casting choice for Star Wars Episode IX
By Meg Dowell
It’s every fan’s dream to appear in a real Star Wars film. That dream is coming true for Dominic Monaghan.
As Star Wars: Episode IX moves through its early weeks of production, we’re learning more and more about who we can expect to see portraying characters in this faraway galaxy.
Not every actor was familiar with the Star Wars franchise before joining the sequel trilogy cast. Daisy Ridley didn’t know much about the franchise before landing the role of Rey.
But some of them – such as Dominic Monaghan, known for his roles in Lost and Lord of the Rings – weren’t new to the franchise. Monaghan was a Star Wars fan long before the news broke that he’d been cast in the third installment of the sequel trilogy.
More from Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
- How many Oscars has Star Wars won?
- Looking back at 10 years of Star Wars: The films
- Domhnall Gleeson up for returning as General Hux
- Star Wars fan’s epic poster is The Rise of Skywalker ending reimagined
- Star Wars 25 features the first post-Rise of Skywalker canon story
After the announcement, the actor said: “The galaxy far far away has had almost as much influence as the one I live in, so I am delighted to be involved.”
He loves Star Wars so much that he has a quote from The Empire Strikes Back tattooed on his forearm: “Luminous beings are we. Not this crude matter.”
During production, there were even rumors that Monaghan would make an appearance in The Force Awakens. His past work with J. J. Abrams and his Lord of the Rings history likely influenced those rumors.
Technically, those assumptions weren’t far off. They just came two films too early.
As a long-time fan and veteran sci-fi/fantasy actor, Monaghan has more than earned his role in possibly the most important Star Wars movie to date – since the 1977 original, of course.
Which character he will portray, however – human, creature, or something else entirely – is still a mystery.
We still have over a year until the Skywalker saga concludes. Who – or what – do you think Monaghan will play in the film?