He’s a blooming pirate in ‘Dead Man’s Chest’
Although Orlando Bloom doesn’t lack for attention – especially the teenage girl variety – it’s easy to overlook him in a film starring Johnny Depp doing that outrageous pirate thing.
But in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” Bloom’s Will Turner isn’t just the wishy-washy romantic lead, living in the shadow of swashbuckling Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp).
Just before he and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) can be wed, they’re unjustly jailed, forcing Will to strike a deal for their freedom: He’s to retrieve a special compass that Jack always carries on his person. This sets Will off on a series of his own seafaring adventures.
“He goes from being a strait-laced kind of upright stick in the mud to becoming more of a bit of a pirate in this one, thankfully,” says Bloom. “It was kind of like discovering my inner pirate for the first time.”
The sequel also allows Will to grow emotionally, questioning his infantile, storybook romance with Elizabeth. Their love story echoes that of legendary pirate Davy Jones (played by Bill Nighy), who locked his heart in a box so his more tender emotions wouldn’t make him vulnerable.
“For them to survive, it’s an interesting parallel which gets more elaborated in the (upcoming) third film, which is the love story of Davy Jones and why did he pull out his heart?” says Bloom.
“And how that relates to the love story of Elizabeth and Will – I mean, are they on the same path and are they going to pull out of that nosedive?”
Bloom’s guardian angel was put to the test once again for several scenes, including one in which he swordfights atop and inside a rolling waterwheel.
The notoriously accident-prone Bloom – who once fell three stories and was told he wouldn’t walk again, but recovered to crack a rib a year later on the “Lord of the Rings” set – came away unscathed this time.
For the most part, the British actor’s film career has consisted of boyhood fantasy-type roles: a Tolkien elf, a pirate, an outlaw in “Ned Kelly,” a Greek prince in “Troy” and a 12th-century warrior in “Kingdom of Heaven.”
Even though he had to wear heavy chain mail for that last film, standing around in soaking pirate gear was much more uncomfortable.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re in the Caribbean. The rain that comes out of those rain machines is cold,” he insists. “If you’re soaking wet for like nine hours, it’s cold and miserable. That was hard work.”
The good-natured Bloom, who’s dating “Superman Returns” actress Kate Bosworth, isn’t complaining, though. Such sacrifices have won him legions of fans – including the female ones who might get a little rowdy with their affection.
“Bring ‘em on,” he says, adding: “Fight them off? Don’t be crazy. What do I look like?”
The birthday bunch
Actor Brian Dennehy is 68. Actor Richard Roundtree is 64. Actor Chris Cooper is 55. Musician John Tesh is 54. Actor Jimmy Smits is 51. Actor Tom Hanks is 50. Actress Kelly McGillis is 49. Singer Courtney Love is 42. Actor Scott Grimes (“ER,” “Party of Five”) is 35. Actor Fred Savage is 30.