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Orlando Bloom: &ldquo;In twenty years, I want to look back and say, &lsquo;I'm proud of these roles.&rsquo; Even if the films were imperfect, they were important. Actors only become interesting after thirty years in the profession. And I think I'm close.&rdquo;
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Text by CARRIE WITTMER Photography THE MORELLI BROTHERS Styling MONTY JACKSON
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Duster coat, shirt and trousers, CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION; boots, SCAROSSO.

When Orlando Bloom recalls how, in 1999, he found out about his casting for the role of Legolas just two days before graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, his voice betrays the same excitement he felt back then. &ldquo;I couldn't believe it. I kept calling my agent to make sure it wasn't a dream.&rdquo; And indeed, the dream came true. First came The Lord of the Rings, then triumph in Pirates of the Caribbean, where he played an armorer who became a pirate, and a little later, the role of Paris in Troy, which cemented his status as a star of the 2000s.

Today, Bloom is 48, lives in Santa Barbara, shares his life with Katy Perry, and increasingly chooses independent films and roles &ldquo;with substance,&rdquo; as he calls them. His new film, Deep Cover, is a comedy he didn't expect to take on. &ldquo;I've never done a comedy before. But Colin Trevorrow was confident that I could do it. I thought the idea was damn funny.&rdquo; He plays Marlon, an unemployed actor who takes himself more seriously than Daniel Day-Lewis. &ldquo;My character is from Manchester. I was inspired by Liam Gallagher's gait and gestures.&rdquo; Scenes with an accent, restrained aggression, almost deliberate seriousness &mdash; Bloom turned all of this into an acting method. Although he himself admits with a smile: &ldquo;I've always been a bit methodical. But cinema is a collective story.&rdquo;

Suit and loafers, DIOR MEN; watch, PORSCHE DESIGN; top stylist's own.

There was almost no improvisation on the set of Deep Cover &mdash; the script was dense and fast-paced, but co-stars such as Nick Mohammed and Bryce Dallas Howard made the process truly easy. &ldquo;Nick is incredible. I love Ted Lasso.&rdquo;
When the conversation turns to his former fame, Orlando makes no secret of the fact that being the &ldquo;It boy&rdquo; of the early 2000s was unbearable. &ldquo;Nothing can prepare you for that. I bought baseball caps and learned to ride a motorcycle just to get out of the house.&rdquo; Paparazzi, tabloids, endless gossip about his romance with Kate Bosworth and his marriage to Miranda Kerr &mdash; it was a different, crazy world. &ldquo;It was tough. Different times.&rdquo;

And yet, much came out of that chaos. Including the role of Will Turner, which he almost refused to accept. &ldquo;When my agent said that Disney wanted to make a movie based on the attraction, I thought, 'Are you kidding me? But Geoffrey Rush convinced me. He says I owe him 10%.&rdquo; Today, Bloom fondly recalls the advice of Ian McKellen, with whom he discussed theater, and Johnny Depp's improvisations, which helped him find the right tone for his character. &ldquo;Will was honest. That was his strength. And his relationship with Elizabeth is the heart of the entire trilogy.&rdquo;

Turtleneck, trousers and belt, PRADA.

Bloom is a man of process. He has struggled with dyslexia since his youth, so he rehearses his roles down to the smallest detail. In theater, he says, everything lives in the here and now: &ldquo;Every evening, I would run up the stairs and tell the crew, &lsquo;Tonight's performance is about joy!&rsquo; They looked at me in surprise. But that was my way of being in the moment.&rdquo;

Shirt, trousers and scarf, BOTTEGA VENETA; loafers, CHURCH'S; watch, PORSCHE DESIGN.

He dreams of returning to the stage&mdash;provided he finds the &ldquo;right hero.&rdquo; And while his colleagues are building franchise schedules, Bloom stars in films like Retaliation, where he plays a victim of sexual assault, or The Cut, where he loses 23 kilograms for the role of a boxer. &ldquo;I've always admired Christian Bale. And finally, I tried it myself &mdash; and it really immerses you in the character's body.&rdquo;

He wants to measure his career not by box office success, but by the significance of his roles. He doesn't chase after big-name directors, but if the opportunity arose, he would love to work with Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, or Ryan Coogler. He is also inspired by the new generation of independent cinema: Anora, made for $6 million, or Il Brutalista with Adrien Brody.

Tank top and trousers, DOLCE & GABBANA; watch, PORSCHE DESIGN; stylist's own belt.

<blockquote>
&ldquo;In twenty years, I want to look back and say, &lsquo;I'm proud of these roles.&rsquo; Even if the films were imperfect, they were important. Actors only become interesting after thirty years in the profession. And I think I'm close.&rdquo;
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Denim pants, LEVI'S; hat, jacket, T-shirt, belt and boots stylis's own.

Tartan jacket, shirt and trousers, AMI PARIS; watch; PORSCHE DESIGN; cowboy hat stylist's own.

<div class="page" title="Page 7"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"> GROOMER: Lori Guidroz @ ROUGE ARTISTS PRODUCTION: CreativeP Studio EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Raphael Farías PRODUCER: Angie Suleimanyan DIGITAL TECH: Drew Schwartz LIGHTING DESIGNER: Andrew Harless LIGHT ASSISTANTS: Justin Brooks and Emma Mortimer PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS: Brigitte Gamil and Igor Sokolov and Mike Kazarayan</div></div></div>

Orlando Bloom: From Hollywood Spotlight to Quiet Cinema

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Orlando Bloom: From Hollywood Spotlight to Quiet Cinema