Orlando Bloom reflects on acting career and fame: 'I see a lot of dead bodies around me'

It wasn't always that way.

"I see a lot of dead bodies around me, a lot of careers that are just over so quickly," Bloom told The Big Issue. "I give myself props just for even sitting here talking to you today. It’s been more than 20 more years, and I’m still here."

Bloom continued, getting more and more vulnerable: 

"In terms of preparing my younger self for 'fame,' I would honestly just say you can't take that stuff seriously. And you can’t let it stop you living your life. There was a window when I was in my 20s, when we didn’t have Facebook or Instagram or anything, but there was still so much heat and attention on me. I got really good at hiding myself because I was really, painfully, trying to live, without being just looked at the whole time. I would say to my young self, just appreciate it and enjoy it, and know today’s newspaper is tomorrow's fish and chip paper, especially with those kind of [celebrity] magazines." 

The 44-year-old rose to mainstream, worldwide fame for his roles in The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises. Since, he starred in 2017 thriller Retaliation and will co-star in Needle in a Timestack with Leslie Odom Jr. and Cynthia Erivo, directed by Oscar winner John Ridley.