>> In Full Bloom
Orlando Bloom is jumping off the Hollywood train to go back to basics. Beccy Matthews considers the box office beauty at 30.
He’s appeared in two of the biggest grossing and critically acclaimed
trilogies of the past decade. His role as Legolas in Lord of the Rings
kick started one hell of a ride which saw the young Canterbury-born actor
go from unknown to A-list heartthrob in one elfi n step, racking up roles
in the likes of Troy, Kingdom of Heaven and Black Hawk Down as well as
Pirates of the Caribbean. In short, he’s one veritable box-offi ce bonanza.
But now – at 30 – Orlando Bloom has decided he wants a break.
“It felt very good to reach 30. I thought I would never make it. It feels different…
less urgent. It is now time for reflection.”
That reflection has included a trip to Antarctica to witness the effects of global warming, a visit to Indonesia with Unicef to aid the plight of orphans, building an eco-friendly house of undisclosed location somewhere in England – and thinking.
“I am loving not working and taking my time to contemplate and think what it is I want to do - what inspired me to go to drama school in the fi rst place”.
One Daniel Radcliffe has had an inspirational impact on Bloom. Having seen Radcliffe’s performance in West End play Equus, Bloom was enthused by the 17-year-old actor’s attempt to fi ght his Potter typecasting, “It was really ballsy – pardon the pun – really a brave choice. I could see why he did it. I thought it was a great job and it made me think”.
So much, in fact, that Bloom has announced he will appear on the West End stage in David Storey’s play, In Celebration, beginning in July. The role promises to be quite a diversion from the big-budget action roles which account for his international fame.
But maybe we will see Bloom taking a different direction from the action
hero when he returns to movies. He counts dramas that bring social issues
to the fore - The Constant Gardener, Hotel Rwanda, The Last King Of
Scotland and Blood Diamond - as his favourites of recent years:
“Movies
that are human stories that shed a light on part of the world that when we
are cocooned in our everyday world of getting through life and paying the
bills and living we sometimes don’t have the opportunity or time to look
outside of it. Those are great movies that I would love to be a part of.”
Bloom has certainly suffered the pitfalls of being a successful – and attractive – young actor. While both his love life and career are constantly chewed over by the press, he admits he struggles with the constant intrusions into his privacy,
“Cary Grant and those big actors had a mystique and you’d ask… What are they going to do next? I have always tried to keep my cards close to my chest, while wearing my heart on my sleeve, in a way. But it is a really hard thing to do. Privacy is important but I am conscious of wanting to be part of the community.”
And has turning 30 turned his attention to matters of settling down?
“I would love to be doing that. Timing is everything. You can’t force that. As much as I would say that it would be good to have a family and kids, it would take a special kind of woman who is going to have her feet grounded enough to deal with the bizarre circumstances I fi nd myself in.”
Ladies, form an orderly queue…
Beccy Matthews