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This is basically your first movie and you look very
different there than what you really are. Didn't you find it strange, to see yourself on screen looking like
that ?
Orlando
Bloom : It was really weird. We acted the characters based on Tolkien's vision for the elves. But it was really very strange to see myself blond and with blue eyes. Transforming yourself for a part is always great.
How far were you involved in dangerous scenes, during the shoot of the
movie ?
OB
: The battle scenes were scaring. But most of the time the shooting location was a very safe place. Of course that when you have animals involved, you never know what will happen. But I love animals,
I had a great time riding a horse.
But you
haven't gotten hurt, even during the battle sequences ?
OB
: That is something you can't help when you're fighting an orc. But Legolas is supposed to come out of it without even a scratch, because of his supra-human qualities, for example, in terms of strength, reflexes or senses. He's like a samurai. I've always imagined him (Legolas) like one of Kurosawa' seven samurais. I've tried to give him that same kind of posture.
But every time you had to do a battle a battle sequence against the orc, it was impossible not to get a scar, a scratch, a bloody hand. But it was fun to be involved in all of those situations and come out on top. As an elf, (Legolas) walks out without a scratch.
To compose the character, you had to learn many things, like how to shoot a bow, for example.
OB
: That was an excellent way
to get inside the character. No one had ever seen an elf before. Tolkien created these incredible beings, placed
in (Middle-)Earth by the gods and angelic spirits. They're favorite characters to many people. I felt that responsibility, but it was a way of understanding
what they were. I characterized them through reading, firstly. There is a lot of information about the
elves. Then I did what I had to do. How does an elf walk, how does he move, how does he
seat ? (Elves) possess that super-human ability of doing everything right. We worked to understand how we could achieve that, in an organic way. We didn't want it looking too stylized.
How was it like working with Liv
Tyler ?
OB
: We started it over the top and then worked it out until we knew what was best for us both. But, in my case, it was slightly different, because I'm a warrior elf and Liv's more gracious, even though possessing the same qualities. In his natural habitat, Legolas would have that same graciosity; same way as Liv, when she has to ride a horse, can be the warrior type as well. That was one of the interesting aspects of Peter Jackson's work, he
has given a great personality to each character.
What was your previous relationship with the Lord
Of The Ring phenomenon ?
OB
: It was important in my childhood because we learnt it at school. I read
The Hobbit and half of The Lord Of The Rings when I was a kid, but I was more interested in sports then. But I read the books when they started to pick actors and read them several times before going to New
Zealand. The books were an essential part of the all process. We couldn't have done the movie without the books as our guide. With the three movies shot in sequence it would've been hard without them to know where our character was on each
moment. We always kept the books and the script side by side, to help us, to support us with all the details that the books have.
How did you
cope with a year and a half period of shooting ?
OB
: One of the things that Peter did to help us was to show us some shots from the movie. He would put together some scenes and showed them to the cast and crew, so that everyone realized what it was that we were trying to
achieve. With different people working at different times you could lose yourself quite a bit. It couldn't be helped. His decision of doing that was a very smart one because everyone, at a given time, would be clueless about what they were doing. It acted
like a focus point and gave us more vigour and energy for what was to come.
Having started to work so shortly ago, wasn't
it difficult for you to be part of a project that will take so long to come to an
end ?
OB
: It was a task of great love for all those involved. Everybody gave everything, so that this project could happen. When you see the movie, you understand that it was a great deed, especially for those who knew the books, to manage to capture all of its information and put it there, with the integrity and clearness as Peter Jackson did. It was a bit frustrating sometimes, because we didn't exactly knew what would happen in the following
day. But we felt like we were doing something that had never been done before. Three movies at once, everybody gave their mind and respect to Peter. We've all believed in his vision.
How
was the all process of learning the elves' language ?
OB
: Our diction professor
translated and vocalized the lines, so that we could understand them. It was a
return to the phonetic classes. We're actors.
What do you think a
movie like this will do to your career ?
OB
: I have no
expectations. I hope that this movie is welcomed with the same energy that
I've invested in it. It was an amazing experience. I feel blessed for being a
part of this project. It will open me a lot of doors. It will be in the
spotlight in the USA, which is an all-new territory for me, in terms of scripts
and job offers. But I tell myself that hoping for nothing is the best thing to
do.
Is it true that you
have a tattoo inspired by the movie ?
OB
:
All
of the Fellowship of the Ring's nine actors did the same tattoo. It represents
the word nine in elvish. The book's illustrator drew it. We started to talk about it and all agreed to do
the tattoo. Viggo already had some tattoos. Now, imagine Ian McKellen with
one...
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