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orlando bloom cafeOrlando Bloom breaks hearts and his own head in POTC 2
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 Bloom talks to iF magazine about doing stunt work, acting in blockbusters, and his yearning to do more independent film work.How did you approach the three installments of Pirates?
Orlando Bloom: It was different. For Lord of the Rings I was in New Zealand for 18 months and I only went home for 2 weeks during that period. This was a long time to be away, but we moved from one island to the next and we did bits here and there and everywhere. It was similar in shooting though, because we would shoot part of the third movie in the morning and then part of the second one that afternoon. Sometimes that was challenging. You have an arc for your character and it’s challenging for one movie and even more for two. You just try to do each scene as it comes up, but it’s a really hard movie to follow while we were shooting. It was actually only after seeing it for the second time that I kind of understood how they get from one place to the next and how it makes sense.
Have you seen Dead Man's Chest yet?
Orlando Bloom: I saw it for the first time just a couple of days before that. I came into LA a bit before the other guys and I saw it and I loved it. That was in a small screening room. Seeing it in a big place the second time was better because I could really take it in. I loved it and I feel like it’s all on the screen. We were away so long and spent so much money, but I feel like it does translate to the screen.
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Did you feel pressure going in?
Orlando Bloom: Nobody knew we would do the second and third until the first one was successful. I wondered how they would top the Pirates and skeletons and moonlight, because that’s a pretty cool concept. There are little things. I think introducing the legend of Davy Jones’ Locker and the East India Trading Company gives it credibility as well as it being this mad world.
Was it good to work with Johnny again?
Orlando Bloom: Yes, we’ve all hung out together for like three years now and we all get along well.
What about being in another trilogy?
Orlando Bloom: It’s great. When I saw the first I couldn’t believe I was in another great movie that would be made into a trilogy. This movie is quite visible and I think it will stand the test of time. I think kids and parents will love this movie for a long time.
What were the challenges of the shooting schedule?
Orlando Bloom: The challenge was that we were away from friends and family for a long time. It’s a really character driven piece for a big summer film, but so much happens that we fit in to. There are big set pieces and stunt routines and it could take a day to set up some of those shots. The wheel sequence, the 3-way sword fight, I think it took two and half weeks to shoot that. It’s complicated and you wonder if you are a stunt man or an actor sometimes.
How did you do the wheel fight?
Orlando Bloom: They rented a wheel and hooked it up to the back of a truck. They moved it up and down hills and we were on harnesses and moving with it. It was complicated. The production team that came up with the way of shooting that deserves a medal.
Do you have to choose your roles more carefully now that you’ve gotten so big?
Orlando Bloom: I’ve been in big movies, but I still feel like I’m learning a lot about my craft. I don’t think you ever stop. I try to be specific about my choices. I did a small movie called Haven between the big ones. I crave working on those small independent movies because I love going to see those myself. That comes out September 15. I’m trying to do another small one called Seasons of Dust right after Pirates finishes. I’m trying to mix the cool, independent stuff with the big stuff, but it’s been difficult finding the right roles. It’s been an interesting ride as far as my career pendulum is concerned.
How do you feel about the action figures of yourself?
Orlando Bloom: I’ve got them in a box and I will bring them out one day when I have kids because then it might be amusing to play with them.
How did it feel to make a movie on dream-like sets and being a pirate?
Orlando Bloom: It’s great. I think we’ve all daydreamed of being a pirate as a kid, being out in the open sea and finding treasure. I think it’s important to shoot on location as much as possible, but for a huge movie like this it gets expensive. We shot in Hurricane Alley in the middle of hurricane season, which was dodgy. We got it done and we are proud of it. Shooting on location gives a vibrancy and color to the film and you can tell on screen. Some of those places are really far flung corners of the Caribbean Islands where there is nothing around so it was kind of outrageous. We got it done and that was part of the energy of the movie.
What were the difficulties of making the second PIRATES movie?
Orlando Bloom: Somebody really smelled in that ball. I kept asking who didn’t put deodorant on because it was really doing my head in. We were running along in that bone cage and one of the guys fell over and it was a nightmare. We were holding this thing around our crown jewels and running along and when one person goes, everybody goes. It was like a scene in the movie, except with us actually falling. The scene looks good and no one was hurt, but it was an awful scene to shoot. The bone cage was really heavy, but it was all good fun and worth it when you see it looking so good on the screen.
How do you see yourself as a leading man?
Orlando Bloom: I see myself more as an actor than a leading man, but I’ve had the opportunity to work on roles like Kingdom of Heaven and Elizabethtown, both of which I really loved working on. There is no rhyme or reason. When we first shot Pirates, who knew it was going to be a runaway success? I didn’t know. Nobody knew. It just happened to be. I think these movies feel like the first one and we know we are on to something that people enjoy watching and that feels great. It’s great to be part of a movie that people want to go and see, but as an actor your job is to turn up on set, deliver the lines, do the best you can and I always do that. The rest is in the hands of God and the audience. There are a lot of ways to rationalize things, but to be honest I wouldn’t change anything about my career. Working on those two movies were life changing for me. It was growth as an actor and working with great directors. Who gets to go from Ridley Scott to Cameron Crowe in the space of 12 months? It was amazing.
How is your wonderful black dog?
Orlando Bloom: He’s very well. Thank you for asking. He’d really appreciate you asking about him. He’s beautiful and upstairs right now.
Is Haven contemporary?
Orlando Bloom: Yes, it’s the directorial debut of Frank E. Flowers, who is a 24-year-old kid and we shot it in his hometown of the Cayman Islands. It’s the first movie ever shot in the Cayman Islands. It was an amazing experience for me. It was really spontaneous and really immediate. I was talking about waiting 3 to 6 hours to shoot a scene for Pirates and then shooting for 3 minutes and then going back to my trailer, but on this we shot 8 scenes in a day. We shot some huge dialogue scenes and I loved the excitement and momentum of it all. That’s why I’m looking to do more of that, so it’s just finding the right material and the right combination of things. I’m really excited for that film to come out on September 15. I think it’s going to be much better than Pirates and will smash that one to smithereens. It’s being released by the Bob Yari Film Group after their success with Crash.
How weird is Johnny Depp?
Orlando Bloom: He’s great and a phenomenal actor. He’s just really brave with his choices. I think most people admire his choices. What about the Willy Wonka character choices he pulled off to a blockbuster success? There were questions about his role in PIRATES too, but he stuck to his guns and I admire that.
Do you have time off now?
Orlando Bloom: I’m going to finish the press tour for this and then I’m shooting Seasons of the Dust before we finish Pirates. If I can’t do it now I will do it afterwards. I’m still enjoying life.
What do you think of Jack Sparrow on the Pirates ride?
Orlando Bloom: It’s there. I don’t know. We’ll have to watch Dick Kirk or someone else at Disneyland. I would love there to be a Will Turner on the right. I think Barbosa and Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones are there. It’s really cool.
How much of Pirates: End of the World is shot already?
Orlando Bloom: I would guess two-thirds to three-fourths.
Did you shoot the same sets for both at once?
Orlando Bloom: Yes, logistically you do as much of that as possible, time and weather permitting. That’s why we would sometimes shoot both on the same day. It didn’t happen often, but we did it a couple of times.
Are you as romantic as your character?
Orlando Bloom: No, I’m completely unromantic and I’m definitely one of the troublemakers. There are broken bottles and hearts all over the Caribbean. I had to leave a few stray dogs behind and they were very brokenhearted. Poor little pups, but they’ve got good homes.
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