Thrill-seeking is nothing new for Orlando Bloom. He’s fractured his skull three times,
Bones of the back, ribs, and limbs.
Most of those injuries were sustained in-between action-packed projects like “Black Hawk Down,” “Kingdom of Heaven,” and three blockbuster film series: “Lord of the Rings,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Hobbit.” But even after the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to take an extended hiatus, Bloom admits he was nervous about starring in his upcoming Peacock reality show, “Orlando Bloom: To the Edge,” in which he literally races through three grueling challenges.
Resist death.
“I was thinking about what I would do once we got out of this lockdown,” he said.
Bloom. “And the thing that was presented to me was, ‘Hey, we can do this. We’re going to throw you out of the plane.’
Let’s see how deep you can swim, and then how about we climb this crazy peak in Moab?”
Specifically, Bloom wanted to jump out of a plane at 13,000 feet in a wingsuit, learn to control his breathing so he could dive 100 feet below sea level, and climb a 400-foot-tall mountain in Utah, all in a matter of weeks, rather than the months of preparation and hundreds of practice runs that would entail. But more than giving in to his daredevil instincts, Bloom also wanted to learn to fly.
His status as an “impressionable young man” was driven by authority.
His experience in each field alleviated any insecurity he may have initially felt about their success.
“I’m not afraid of it because I’ve experienced real physical pain. Although I don’t want to die,” he said.
“But the experience of being educated by experts in the field and learning their limitations is
The rules and procedures to be followed have significantly reduced the chances of death or serious accidents.”
More than just a physical challenge, the three stunts required intense mental focus to execute, and Bloom credits the Buddhist meditation he’s practiced since he was 16 with helping him get through them, though he admits that the resulting deepening of his faith came as a surprise.
“I went in with my usual bravery, but then I was faced with, ‘Oh my body can’t withstand the gravitational force,’ or ‘My ears can’t hear at 80 feet,’ or ‘My parachute is going to break,'” he recalled. “I’d practiced Buddhism for many years, so that philosophy was a anchor for me, but the intensity of what I was experiencing…
Wake it up more.”
Bloom has overcome three challenges, four if you include his first documentary series.
For him, jumping into an unscripted project was never a consideration, so this was his next job.
“I had a fantastic time working on this film and I’m so grateful for the opportunity,” he says.But Bloom says his experience filming “To the Edge” didn’t help him in Hollywood, where Tom Cruise has repeatedly put his life at risk to entertain audiences in the “Mission: Impossible” series.
He was highly motivated to take on the 61-year-old.
“I don’t want to commit suicide,” the father of two said. “I love my life.”
But he hopes viewers will take his inspiration and follow it despite the obstacles.
His face turned out to be a little more ordinary than his face.
“True beauty comes when you embrace the inconveniences of life,” Bloom says. “Maybe it’s something that takes you out of your comfort zone, like public speaking or stand-up comedy, but I hope that instead of just seeing me do this insane thing, people will look at it and think, ‘What are my strengths?'”
