21 Years Later, ‘Lost’ Star Reveals Charlie’s Hidden Star Wars Easter Egg [Exclusive]

Over the years, Lost fans have dissected everything — symbols, numbers, glances, coffee cups — but one of the show’s most subtle character tells flew under the radar for a long time. Speaking to Collider’s Maggie Lovitt at Fan Expo Portland, Dominic Monaghan revealed that Charlie Pace’s hoodie was never just a hoodie. It was a deliberate storytelling tool, and it had a surprisingly nerdy inspiration. When asked about small character details to look out for as fans binge the series, Monaghan said, “One of the ones we don’t talk about on the show, but obviously, I knew about it.” He went on to explain, “Damon Lindelof and JJ [Abrams] , and Jeff Binder, who was one of the executive producers and directed a lot of the show, they all liked it — whenever Charlie has his hoodie up, he’s going dark. He’s gonna go under.”

According to Monaghan, the rule was simple: hoodie up meant Charlie was headed somewhere dark — emotionally, morally, or psychologically. “So, if you ever see Charlie, he wears a black hoodie, and he keeps it undone, or un-hooded, quite a lot, but if you see him put it up, he’s going to the dark place.” And yes, this was intentional enough that Monaghan pitched it directly to the show’s creators — with a Star Warscomparison baked in. “It’s a little nod towards the Sith in Return of the Jedi,” he said, “So I pitched it to Damon, and Damon’s a massive Star Wars fan, as we all are, I’m sure, and Damon’s like ‘Do that!'” Monaghan added that once the idea was approved, the team made sure it stayed consistent. “So we made sure that whenever it was happening, he put his hood up, so that’s a little Easter egg to look out for.”

Who Did Dominic Monaghan Play in ‘Lost’?

Monaghan played Charlie Pace on the hit show. Charlie was a heroin addict and musician, a rocker for the fictional band DriveShaft. Charlie is one of the original survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, and his arc is one of the most powerful in the series as he starts out messy, defensive, and insecure, but over time, he grows into one of the show’s most emotionally grounded characters, and becomes a loving and protective figure, especially around Emilie De Ravin‘s Claire Littleton. His story culminates in one of Lost’s most iconic moments — his Season 3 sacrifice in “Through the Looking Glass”, including the handwritten message “Not Penny’s Boat.”

Lost is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+. Stay tuned to Collider for more news and updates from Fan Expo Portland.