Hot Property "I cannot believe I'm a beanie!"

Hot Property - "I cannot believe I'm a beanie!"
Sugar (UK)
September 2003
by Robin Lynch/Famous

Hasn't Orlando Bloom looked in a mirror lately? We sat him down for a natter to see what other surprises he could spring on us...

Orlando, things are going so well for you! How does it feel to be a Hollywood hottie?
I still can't believe it! It's a weird time for me right now, and I'm still trying to figure it all out. All I've ever wanted to do is work though, so I feel really lucky for the opportunity to do so!

Does the whole movie star thing overwhelm you?
Yeah, totally, all of the time! But the hardest thing is when you start to live the dream, 'cause it's not quite what you expect it to be! There's so much media attention that comes with it, and it can be really overwhelming. I suppose it takes some adjusting!

What's it like being such a beanie?
What's that?

A gorge guy!
Y'know what, I've only just realised I've got heartthrob status! It's weird and I hope it won't get in the way of me making the right choices over films I appear in. But I think you sometimes have to get used to being popular for your looks, just to get to do the movies you want to do.

And we bet it doesn't hurt your chances with the laydees, either! We've gotta ask, are you dating Blue Crush babe Kate Bosworth?
That's something that I won't talk about. There are some areas in my life where I have to say, "OK, I can talk about this because it's work," but the rest of it isn't really stuff that I want to shout about.

Aww! But you must get excited working with so many lovely gals?
Do I feel grateful to be around beautiful girls? Of course I do! I'm a guy. All guys love gorgeous girls, and I get to work with Diane Kruger in Troy, and with Liv Tyler and Cate Blanchett in Rings! It's great!

Your next movie Pirates Of The Caribbean is out this month. What was it like playing a pirate?
I can't give too much away, but my character starts off as a blacksmith and then teams up with Johnny Depp who's like a real deal pirate - completely cool and roguish! I'm sort of a pirate who's not a pirate!

You're looking pretty fit - in more ways than one! Did you have to work out for the role?
I'd just finished a British comedy called The Calcium Kid in which I play a boxer, so I was in pretty good shape. It's not like I was meant to be muscle man or anything for this, but it helped to be fit - just to maintain the stamina for four or five months of shooting.

You've worked with some big names - are they role models?
Johnny Depp's was so modest, he was very inspirational. And it's the same with Brad [Pitt] actually. I'm working with him on Troy. They're similar like that, very gracious.

Have you been doing any more work on Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King?
Yes - we'd already shot most of it, but I went back to New Zealand to do a bit more material 'cause the director wanted to expand the scenes with Legolas. In the first movie there were these little movements where I was running over the back of the cave troll, and in the second I was sliding down the stairs. He had a great idea where we combine all that stuff for the third movie - it's a great moment for me and for the film, and I think you'll enjoy it!

Are there are a lot of similarities with Lord Of The Rings, Pirates Of The Caribbean and Troy?
Well, they're all big movies! But each of the films are completely different and you can't really compare them.

So whaddya do when you're not filming?
I don't get much time off, but when I do I just try to hang out my friends and family. You realise when you're away all the time how important it is to spend time with them. I'm so busy on set that I miss going to the cinema and watching vids - such as Amelie and my fave all-time films Monty Python and Stand By Me! I also miss hearing new music - so I try to catch up on stuff that I might've missed out on, especially anything by Radiohead, Jamiroqual and REM.

We'd probably all faint if we saw you shopping in Sainsbury's but how often d'you get recognised?
I get spotted now and again. Some people say, "You're that elf dude, right?" It's still weird when it happens though - so I like the anonymity that's come with the long, blonde look in Lord Of The Rings! I got all the fun of being in a big movie without any of the attention!

Catch Orlando in Pirates Of The Caribbean in cinemas from August 8. The third in the Lord Of The Rings series, The Return Of The King hits cinemas in December. We can't wait!