British actor Orlando Bloom has appeared as an elf and a swashbuckler in "Lord of the Rings" and "Pirates of the Carribean" but it's in his new romantic comedy "Elizabethtown" where he really gets a chance to stretch his acting chops.
Yet despite having gained legions of fans and headlining a huge epic, "Kingdom of Heaven," Orlando still feels he has a long way to go. "I found myself doing all these action-adventure movies, and it's been a fantastic experience and I've learnt a lot. And thankfully I haven't had too much to say because I probably would have made a mess of it!" he told the Independent. "It's been, um ... It's been a really interesting learning curve."
He says he loves "human stories" and his own upbringing has enough material for a movie in itself. Orlando's college law professor father died when he was four and he received his another childhood shock at age 13 when he learned his real father was actually Colin Stone, the family friend who had become his legal guardian after the death of Harry Bloom. Director Cameron Crowe learned of the story, and its similarities to the script, and used Orlando's private pain in one scene of "Elizabethtown" to invoke an on-camera reaction from the actor.
"I felt bad doing it," Crowe said, "It literally took him back a little bit - and that shot's in the movie. That's when he sort of [recoils]. As soon as it was over I said, 'Sorry, but I had to do it.' And he said, 'No, that's OK, all's fair, all's fair.' So that stuff is in him. It wasn't why I hired him, but I think it's one of the things that makes Orlando different from a lot of guys his age - he's been through a lot of pain, and you can see it in his face."
The heartthrob actor has had to deal with his stardom as a distraction in his private life. He denies he has split from girlfriend Kate Bosworth and says there's no truth to the rumors he's an item with his co-star Kirsten Dunst, who describes the appeal of Orlando Bloom: "He's kind of a manboy in a way ... he's still very boyish. He's kinda feminine. There's something not threatening, which is why a lot of young girls like him."
Read the Orlando Bloom interview at The Independent.
