Orlando Bloom has discussed the extreme physical challenges he faced while filming his latest movie.
The actor, widely recognized for his role as Will Turner in The Pirates of the Caribbean series, underwent a dramatic body transformation that left him looking quite emaciated.
Bloom’s new film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday, September 5, required him to shed a significant amount of weight for his character.
In an interview with People, Bloom described the role as ‘taxing’ and admitted that he ‘literally thought [he] was gonna die’ at one point during the shoot.
The transformation was so severe that even his fiancé, singer Katy Perry, was alarmed by it.
This intense preparation was for his new film, The Cut, which currently does not have a distributor or release date.
The movie centers around a ‘retired fighter obsessed with getting back in the ring — even if it costs him his life,’ showcasing Bloom’s drastic weight loss at the start and his gradual weight gain afterwards.
In the storyline, Bloom’s character is sidelined from boxing after a brutal fight. A decade later, an unexpected death of another boxer opens up a slot for a title fight, prompting Bloom’s character to volunteer as a replacement, necessitating a rapid weight loss in just six days to make ‘the cut.’
Discussing the toll it took on him, he told People: “I was very hangry.”
It’s a sentiment many people can relate to.
Bloom elaborated: “The last three weeks in London, before we started filming, were just tuna and cucumber.”
The on-set nutritionist had him on a ‘strict regime’ designed ‘to tear [him] down’ so he could start the film as thin as possible.
Bloom added: “And then I put on weight as we filmed.”
Perry found the transformation shocking, as she ‘just was freaked out.’
Bloom explained: “She watched it and was like, ‘I need a stiff drink.’”
“She was really moved. She knew what it took.”
According to Bloom, Perry was incredibly supportive during the filming process, managing their home life and caring for their daughter, Daisy Dove.
He said: “She was there throughout, with the kids and stuff.”
“It’s hard for your family.”
Caitriona Balfe, who plays Bloom’s character’s wife and trainer in the film, expressed her understanding of his situation.
She remarked: “You can do stuff like that when you’re on your own, it’s one thing about being single. We were all younger before we had families [and] you can kind of throw yourself into something. But when you have to come home, and you have to be a parent.”
Balfe also noted: “The transformation was shocking… I was like, ‘You look like a raisin.’”
With a ‘gaunt’ appearance initially, Bloom then had to regain the lost weight to show his character’s progress throughout the movie.