By Constance

I know Orlando from Guildhall School and can probably get through to him to ask him the answers to your questions. I know he is terribly busy filming now - probably 12 hours a day often...but I am sure he would like to know there are so many people interested in him...He is a great guy, very popular on the set with everyone - and it is believed he is coming accross seriously well as Legolas one hears on the grapevine...

I will try to answer some of the questions you ask and perhaps you can put pass them on to his fans...

Why did he audition for the part...I understand he auditioned first for another part in the film and when they saw him, they thought he looked like Legolas should look like! He was very interested in Legolas for many reasons and that answer should come direct from him. But Orlando is a great action man...he skills and surfs and snow boards and bungie jumps and paraglides and as a boy used to do all the fast moving things that boys usually do...scateboarding, skiing, snow-boarding, climbing trees, hockey, football, rugby and now he is an excellent horseman after being highly trained for the film and is an excellent archer of course, having been highly trained to shoot deadly arrows for the film...

He became an actor because he used to look at a lot of tv as a boy...and he says that directly he realised these people doing these were actually acting, he felt he would like to be an actor. He also wanted to be a stuntman when he was younger...(much to the dismay of his mother).

At the moment he loves working in movies, but he has done some TV work and he adored working on the stage at school. He was always in the school plays and most of the school always believed he would be an actor because he was so good in the school plays.

He understands there are lots of Legolas fans, but as yet he hasn't a computer and therefore doesnt access this site ....He is an extremely open and friendly guy with a big smile for nearly everyone (except when he is very tired) so I am sure he would be delighted to know about the fans. He is also fairly modest so he is probably not terribly aware of how many fans he is predicted to attract...He is extremely good looking and it is well known that the cameras "love him" so he will have to get more aware of how to deal with his many fans...He will he good to them - we are sure of that when he is a little more aware of them.

He read the Tolkein books when he was younger and has studied them very seriously since making the film and loves to talk about Legolas who is almost part of his character by now...He sort of lives and breaths Legolas and sometimes he wonders if he has actually turned into Legolas...then when he goes out with his friends, clubbing and having fun, he then realises he has turned back into Orlando Bloom! He is a great dog lover has an English boxer in England who he misses very much and is called Maud. He adores Maud.

The Lord of the Rings will have undoubedly a huge influence on his career. He has made a full interview about it for the TV which should be out soon...when he speaks quite emotionally how marvellous he thinks the film will be, and what a genius he thinks Peter Jackson is and what incredible trouble they are taking on every aspect of the movies to ensure Tolkein and all the LORT fans will be delighted with the films...He believes the sets are unbelievable...and the actors are all perfectly cast - everyone is giving 600% of themselves to the films and there is no doubt they are going to be fabulous...I believe that is what he thinks...Obviously, personally, he is very excited by the impact filming has made on his life so far.

Birthdate: January 13th l977; Capricorn;
education: St. Edmunds School, Canterbury, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, one of the top drama schools in London.
Single,
mother, sister Samantha, father died when he was four years old, but he has a muchloved guardian who was a father to him;
previous jobs; National Youth Theatre, British American Drama Association; BBC TV; a cameo part in Wilde (Oscar) and of course numerous plays and musicals whilst he was training at Guildhall.
Likes: action sports. He is very good at sculpture, loves photography; surfing, skidiving, dogs, all animals, driving,...loves life to the full...Is a happy person usually very cheerful, loves a good time.

So thats it - some news for your little community...