Orlando Bloom's Dog: “I rescued him while shooting Kingdom of Heaven
in Morocco. They’re actually called a Sloogy. It’s a Betowyn bred dog.
We looked it up on rarebreeds.com and he fits into that characteristic
in terms of his look and his build and everything. They’re very loyal
to one owner. They won’t necessarily relate to another owner in the
same way that they related to their first owner. He’s very aloof with
people but very open and friendly. And he’s a great companion.” His
name is Sidi.Orlando Bloom's Audition for Kingdom of Heaven: When
offered an audition the following morning, “I had like nine hours to
learn three of the biggest scenes in the movie. I had like two hours
sleep. I had a stick on beard the next morning. I had blood on my face,
chainmail on my back and I was standing in front of a camera with
Ridley Scott directing me. And you know, this is the guy who threw me
out of the helicopter in Black Hawk Down. And I admire and respect him.”Orlando Bloom's Kingdom of Heaven Character, Balian: “He’s
lost his wife, he’s lost his child, he’s lost his faith because of
that. He then meets his father who... gives him the opportunity for a
new life. This is about a man who is on a journey of spiritual and self
discovery. It becomes a journey of political discovery, of social and
militarial discovery, to understand what all those things mean but
ultimately, first and foremost, he is the blacksmith. And he says that
at the end of the movie and he says no at the beginning of the movie."
Orlando Bloom on Kingdom of Heaven's Controversial Subject: “Obviously,
this is a sensitive topic with the crusades as the backdrop but I think
it’s very balanced the way he displayed the chivalry and the courage of
Saladin, a man who was very respected by Baldwin. This is at a time in
history where there was 100 years of peace between Baldwin and Saladin.
They were trying to maintain that peace but there was always the
fanatics coming from Europe... So it was a sensitive subject but I feel
it’s been handled with kid gloves.”Orlando Bloom on Kingdom of Heaven's Historical Accuracy: “I
think it’s very important obviously, but this movie isn’t a
documentary. Balian is a fictitious character up to the point where he
gets to Jerusalem where that is actually true to history. That
character did exist in history and he did defend Jerusalem against
Saladin and he actually had a very good relationship with Saladin. But
at the same time, you’re making a movie for an audience today, so there
are changes that need to be made for an audience to find it accessible
and enjoy it.”Orlando Bloom on Religious Strife: “When
are we going to realize that we share this planet as one? Ultimately,
there has always been war over religion, money, power, land, water,
oil, whatever, position in the world. But it’s futile. I went to see U2
last night and the U2 concert was phenomenal. Bono to me is a
remarkable human being fighting for human rights. And the UN’s human
rights declaration from 1948 said, ‘We are a brotherhood of man
regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sexuality, whatever.We
are all equal on this earth and in the eyes of your god,whoever that
may be so we should live that way.’What an incredibly truthful and
honest message.If life isn’t about preserving humanity and having
compassion,consideration and forward thought for your fellow man then I
really don’t know what it is about.Ultimately, I think the message of
this movie is one of humanity.Balian is a man who reluctantly assumes
the position of being a knight but he follows his creed right through
to the end.”Orlando Bloom on Pirates of the Caribbean 2: “Well,
we’ve just started shooting. We’re about four weeks into shooting. I
just came back from the Caribbean for this. We’re going to shoot the
second movie and a little bit of the third movie just because of the
locations and using the locations. And then we’re going to be shooting
the third one.” I know, that’s basic, but I’m saving the good stuff for
a major Pirates of the Caribbean 2 preview!Orlando Bloom on Young James Bond: “I’m
not doing young James Bond. Young or old, it has never been mentioned
to me. So I don't know where that came from, but I can tell you it
never happened. I’ve never heard a whiff of it. Not a whiff.”Orlando Bloom's Elizabethtown Preview: “Cameron Crowe is an amazing man and director. That was the first time I’d played the lead, other than The Calcium Kid or Haven,
but it was a contemporary role playing an American. To have done my
first contemporary lead role with an American accent with the
quintessential American director, this is a guy who’s got his hand on
his heart with his finger on the pulse of America as far as I can tell
in terms of the movies that I’ve seen that he’s directed. He just knows
how to take a moment and make it such a real sublime moment in terms of
today. I mean, ‘You had me at hello,’ it’s like he’s got those catch
phrases.
“And I had an amazing experience working in the heartland of
America which was something I’d never been to before. Being in
Kentucky, being in Louisville, being embraced by the people and seeing
how that side of America really exists. And it’s such a strong presence
that I was never really aware of because I’d always only ever been in
New York or LA. It’s like wow, there’s a real extensive community and
family. And then I drove back from Nebraska to Los Angeles on my own,
just me and the dog in the car and it was amazing to see how much
expansive land I passed without seeing anyone. And you think, ‘Wow,
America is so big’ but it’s more in the sense of there’s all this
space, but it’s condensed into these areas but it was amazing.”
