Three years ago he was just another drama student, until the 'Lord of The Rings' arrived with his role as Legolas the Archer. Today Orlando Bloom is the Internet sex symbol and he shares the screen with Johnny Depp in 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. The perfect end for a lover of extreme sports.

THERE are many things that they don't teach you in school. For example, how to be famous. One, two, three, repeat after me. Or how to be an elf. It doesn't matter that the classes you took were in London, at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Not even if you were a scholarship student like Orlando Bloom. Once you have been given the [graduation] diploma, the world is yours if you have luck. If not, you have to get a grip. "When you get out of [Drama] school, you can't even imagine what this industry is like. I am already a part of it and I'm still beginning to find out," Bloom sighs, always with a smile upon his lips. Not just any [smile], but that one which has won him thousands of teen-agers on the Internet. "I don't understand how some kind of guide doesn't exist, one of those books that give out advice on how to be successful, in this case in the American film industry. Someone should write, 'How to Achieve Your Goal In Hollywood.' It would be very useful and wonderful," he jokes. Mr. Bloom himself (born in Canterbury twenty-six years ago) would be one of the few who would be able to write it. He moved to London at just sixteen years of age to study two years at the National Youth Theater. Later his debut in film was as a secondary character (he played a rent boy) in Wilde (1997), he made a minor appearance in television, many casting calls and was at the already mentioned Guildhall for three years. Graduation came next, then the filming of the trilogy Lord of The Rings. Next, a small role in Black Hawk Down. True, he was the first one to die [note: his character didn't die], but Ridley Scott's production wasn't exactly small. Now he arrives -cannons at hand, full sails to the winds, in Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl. A super production by Jerry Bruckheimer (Armageddon, Gone in 60 Seconds and Pearl Harbor) where he overshadows even Johnny Depp. "I don't want to ruin the story for anyone but if I don't say this I'll explode: I'm the one who gets the girl," he sighs with pride. Don't leave yet, there is still more. He's already filming the movie with the most muscle bound men per square meter: Troy. Working together also on the same version of The Iliad are Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Sean Bean and himself. So we turn back to reflect on the initial idea [the How To Guide]: if Bloom wrote the book, it would be a best seller. How would the first chapter begin? "This might sound a bit cliché, I know, but I'd write something about how one has to follow what one's heart says and maintain one's feet on the ground. This is the strangest industry in the world: it doesn't have a head or feet." We start off badly, here's another one [actor] who wants to take the secret to the grave.

MAYBE TWO YEARS AGO HE WOULD HAVE WRITTEN IT WITHOUT so many poetic euphemisms. His first grand production was about to premier and even he couldn't believe it. How did a young guy with a punkish look and little to offer, fresh out of Dramatic Arts School and without any known connections in this profession, manage to achieve spending over twelve months in New Zealand making friends for life- the starring cast [FOTR] baptized themselves the "Brotherhood of the Ring"- and filming the popular trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien?

Even he couldn't recognize himself on the big screen, he admits, with his pointy elf ears and long blonde hair which does not in any way resemble his own hair which is thick, curly and dark brown. On top of that he appears in many scenes because he plays the Archer Legolas Greenleaf, an immortal Elf Prince who is 2,931 years old. "I thought it was amusing when, after the premier of the first movie, people would stop me in streets by yelling out, 'Hey! Aren't you that elf guy?'," he comments. In those times he still didn't suffer from the hardship that accompanies success, or fame. In reality, today people don't bother him much. However, when you leave the asphalt and jump into cyberspace... There Legolas is king. Chat rooms are filled with such comments as, " I love him", "Be my Valentine", or "He's soooooo cute." Without leaving the Net, polls have surrendered to the screams and hysterics of all those who have voted him in one section of Yahoo, as one of the most handsome, beating out Josh Hartnett, another reason to drool among teenagers, and Ashton Kutcher, currently the most sought after by women in their forties... like Demi Moore. In magazines such as YM, targeted towards the teenage girl population, the only doubt is: who is hotter, Orlando or Elijah Wood? His performance in Pirates of the Caribbean, in which he plays the blacksmith Will Turner, pirate apprentice and undo-er of evil schemes, clad in leotards, hair up in a pony tail and a mustache a la Errol Flynn, the master of loafers from the big screen, isn't going to do anything else but add fuel to the fire.

The smile remains but the brow is furrowed. He continues to reflect upon his success. Two years ago he would have responded on queue. Today he is more grown up, it's more of a struggle, he's more conscious of what he has riding on him, although he continues to be sweet and stops to smell the roses. "Nor fame, nor stardom, nor any of that which surrounds acting, interests me. However, I also realize that all of these things are what make it possible for us to continue working in what we like to do," he admits rationally. Because of this logic is that he reads all of the letters he receives from his fans; unfortunately for his faithful followers, there isn't enough time to respond to them all.

However much he has become the 'It' guy, in the height of fashion, Bloom prefers to turn a deaf ear to such noise and focus on those who he considers have what it takes to make it in this profession. His idols, are Johnny Depp, Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Newman, one for every generation. "Acting is what I like to do, I am very grateful for the opportunities that I have had and they have been ideal. And if on top of that they happen to be movies with the perfect elements to interest the public, well then it's phenomenal that I get to interpret that. However surreal it might seem," he admits. Exact as only he can be in anything pertaining to his career, his generosity also extends to the ladies and the rest of his personal relationships. Although regarding his personal life he prefers not to give out many clues. His father died when Orlando was four years old and his mother, Samantha [note: his mother's name is Sonia], was the one who instilled in him his love for acting, for him and his sister (also named Samantha, two years younger than him), whom he competed against in local artistic competitions in Canterbury, whether they were for school or church, poetry or drama. Love? His relationship with Kate Bosworth, the surfing siren from Blue Crush, is kept secret further by him remaining tight lipped. "Traveling so much and the type of business that I'm in make any type of relationship difficult. Well, it's also true that this part of life is the most difficult for any person, not just actors," he confessed under pressure.

THESE DETAILS ARE WHAT CONTINUE THE GROWTH OF the fantasies of teenagers, and those who aren't so much [teenagers]. They come from his very sweet nature without being sugary, who exudes manliness without being macho. All of that is seasoned with a saucy inborn nature, on and off the screen, that comes from his adventurous spirit. "If I hadn't become an actor, I don't know what would have become of me... Surely I'd be involved in all kinds of activities pertaining to the outdoors," he ventures with tranquility. The same which he used to try out all of the extreme sports which were within his reach during the filming of The Lord of The Rings. His justification, "There was nothing else to do." The march goes to him. Even though his worse accident hasn't had a place in film (he fractured a rib in New Zealand when he fell from a horse) actually it happened while he was studying at Guildhall: a fall from a three story terrace almost left him paralyzed. Or worse. "It was apparently bad, but then it wasn't. It seems, the fracture on my back was mere millimeters away from my actual spine," he sighs relieved, "I also broke both legs, one arm, my wrist on my other arm, several ribs, my nose, one finger on one hand and one toe, I also fractured my skull in three different places... After several surgeries, I was released from the hospital 12 days later. It could have been fatal." In Malta, where he has filmed Troy, he has learned something about rock climbing, or has gone diving from some of its coasts. Things which he says are more normal because "one has to last. Especially if I want a long lasting career", he laughs.

Besides the tattoo he has on his forearm which sealed his friendship with his companions in Lord of The Rings and the numerous rings which adorn his hands, one with an emblem on his left and several elaborate ones on his right, including his pinky, Orlando Bloom carries the story of his life around his neck. Literally. Hanging there are little pieces of his brief but intense career: a piece of jade he was given in New Zealand, a little bit of Moroccan rocks, from when he filmed Black Hawk Down there, something else from the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, where the sea scenes from Pirates was filmed... the keys to some handcuffs from New York (for which he won't give any explanation)... He's sentimental. Even now tears come to his eyes when he recalls the last day on Lord of The Rings. "They gave me my bow with the arrows used on the last take and they had made me a montage with some of my best moments as Legolas. Fun, but sad at the same time." That's life. There is still a lot left ahead of him: waiting for it's premier is Ned Kelly, the life of an Australian outlaw that portrayed by Heath Ledger, and The Calcium Kid, a comedy in which he plays a boxer. He is also looking for a house [to buy] , even though he doesn't make it clear on which side of the Atlantic. "My only wish now is to make a small film with three friends where we are sitting together playing cards," he comments innocently. None of his fans will oppose... if they can choose the other players.

[Little yellow box]

His Preparation: few people have read the entire work of The Iliad. Orlando Bloom hasn't either. He Listened to it on CD along with the book.
A Drunken Time: the one he shared with Johnny Depp while they were flying to the island of St. Vincent, to film POTC. "We nearly crawled out of the plane."
A Superstition: his sister taught him when he was little the habit that if he spotted a single magpie (bird) he has to greet it out loud and count to ten to avoid any bad luck.

[Column at far left hand side with red letter heading on last page].

EVIL PIRATES
The genre of buccaneers has become stale in Hollywood since the decade of the 80's. Roman Polanski's career was nearly ruined with his film Pirates (1986): it cost 40 million euros and made a little over one million. Also, The Island of the Beheaded (1995) bankrupt the production company of Carolco. Pirates of The Caribbean has re-established Hollywood's honor. Cost to make: 125 million euros. Take in so far: for now, over 170 million just in the USA.

[Little column in middle of front page with picture of Coldplay].

HIS TEMPTATIONS (PREFERENCES)
Music: Orlando Bloom chooses two British groups: Coldplay (pictured above) and Radiohead.
Hobby: Sculpting. "I did it better, even better than acting. It's been a long time since I've practiced it."