March 10, 2002
Translated by Cass
scans from Cass, click to enlarge

When TOPP met Orlando Bloom (25) last year, there were still several months till The Lord of the Rings' premiere, and Orlando was still a normal, anonymous 24-year-old.

Since then everything has taken off, and now he is one of the new, hot stars. But did you know that he can thank the doctors and the higher powers for being able to walk at all?

Orlando is, in fact, an accident-prone person... He's 1,80 meters tall, but so slender that he seems a lot smaller. He answers quietly and very businesslike to the questions. It's obvious that he hasn't done that many interviews in his life, and that's pretty natural, seeing that he's practically new in the movie business – or at least in the movie star business.

Because Orlando Bloom is a movie star now. First, three years in a row in The Lord of the Rings. Then, as if he's not hot news enough already, he's also in Black Hawk Down, starring Josh Hartnett and Ewan McGregor. What a team, we say... But back to Orlando, or Orli, as his friends call him. The beautiful face and the agile body was the reason why the director of The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson, didn't cast him in the part as Faramir, in which Orlando initially tried out for. Instead, Jackson saw that he would be perfect as an elf, and asked him to read for the part as Legolas. It was a done deal. Almost.

"The whole process actually took half a year, so it didn't feel as simple as it might sound", he smiles vaguely. "It's incredible that Peter [the director] took a chance on someone as new as me. I'm forever thankful to him!"

Opportunity of a lifetime

But Orlando's not entirely new to the movie business. The acting dream started when he, as a little kid, realized that it was actually an actor [Christopher Reeve] who was the one and only Superman – and he wanted to do that kind of stuff too!

In 1993, he moved from his home place in Canterbury to London, to try his luck as an actor. There he quickly found himself in the theater environment, and acted onstage for many years – in plays like Ibsen's Peer Gynt.

In 1997, he debuted with a small role in Wilde, a movie about the Irish writer Oscar Wilde, and that started a rush of offers. But Orlando turned all of them down. He'd rather go on with his education and play theater. That's why his movie career didn't develop until he got an offer he just couldn't say no to: The part of Legolas in the trilogy The Lord of the Rings.

"I got the part two days before graduating from drama school, so you can imagine how grand it was for me. I was in seventh heaven, the role was an opportunity of a lifetime."

To Orlando, an opportunity of a lifetime meant, among other things, spending 18 months in New Zealand with tough work – and, not to mention, training.

"I spent a lot of time training with a bow and arrow, which is Legolas' weapon-of-choice, and horseback riding. You'll get to see more of that in the next movies. It was incredibly exciting."

How was the contact with Elijah and the other guys?
"I've really got friends for life. We've had so much fun together. Billy [Boyd] taught me how to surf when we were in New Zealand, and soon all the guys were lying on surfing boards and thrashing the water. It's an amazingly great gang, and we do keep in touch - whenever we can, so to speak."

Accident-prone

There are rumors that you're addicted to adrenalin kicks?
"I love sports that have something wild over them. Some of the coolest things that happened in New Zealand was that I got to do bungee jumping where they have the highest downfall (translator's note: I'm not really familiar with the technical terms of bungee jumping...) – 134 meters. Six times! To throw yourself out and fly like that is... absolutely indescribable.

Incredibly that he dares though, when thinking about the fact that he's accident-prone... Here's a list of his injuries during his life:
· Broken his back
· Broken several ribs
· Broken his nose
· Broken both legs
· Broken his wrist
· Broken a finger
· Broken a toe
· Gotten his head stitched three times

No uplifting reading, especially not when knowing that Orlando doesn't think twice before he throws himself off bridges, other scaffoldings – or windows... Three years ago, our friend threw – or more accurately, fell – out of a window on third floor. Not good, of course, and Orlando was brought to the hospital with a broken back and several broken ribs. The doctors' predictions were depressing, they meant that he most probably would never be able to walk again. But after a successful operation, only 12 days passed before the highly surprised doctors could send Orlando back home – on his feet. Now he's as fit as a fiddle. The weird thing is that perhaps his role in Black Hawk Down is suspiciously like himself. His character falls 21 meters and breaks his back and other body parts. He too, is a little "accident-proner"...

Did you know that:

· Orlando was born January 13, 1977
· He's very attached to his big sister Samantha (26). – She's the one who makes me keep my feet on the ground.
· He lives in London with his dog Maude.
· Orlando is single!
· He's been quickie-engaged to the British supermodel Jemma Kidd (Jodie's sister).
· He's been in a love triangle with one of his (former)(Translator's note: What? They're still friends!) best friends, André Schneider. Orlando was dating actress Joanne Morley, who then left him for buddy André.
· He wishes he had Johnny Depp's career. – He's done many interesting and good role picks.
· His favorite movie right now is the French Amélie.
· It's really Orlando firing arrows in The Lord of the Rings. He promises!