Thrill-seeking is nothing new for Orlando Bloom, who has cracked his skull three times and broken
bones in his back, ribs and all four limbs.
Most of those injuries were sustained between action-packed projects such as “Black Hawk Down,” “Kingdom of Heaven” and three blockbuster film series, “The Lord of the Rings,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Hobbit.” Yet, even after an extended period of inactivity forced upon him by the COVID-19 pandemic, Bloom admits to feeling some trepidation about starring in the Peacock reality series “Orlando Bloom: To the Edge,” where, via three intense challenges, he would quite literally
defy death.
Related Stories
“I had had this idea that if and when we get out of this lockdown situation, what would I do?” says
Bloom. “And what was presented to me was, ‘Hey, we could do this: We’ll throw you out of a plane.
We’ll see how deep you can swim. And how about you climb this insane pinnacle in Moab?’”
Popular on Variety
More specifically, Bloom would jump from a plane at 13,000 feet in a wingsuit; develop enough breath control to dive 100 feet beneath the surface of the ocean; and train to climb a 400-foot Utah pinnacle. And rather than enjoying months of preparation and hundreds of practice runs, he would try to accomplish each in a matter of a few weeks. But beyond capitulating to the daredevil instinct
that took hold of him as “an impressionable youth,” Bloom says that being shepherded by authorities
in each discipline alleviated any concerns he may initially have felt about pulling them off.
“Having experienced really physical pain, I’m not afraid of it — although I don’t want to die,” he
clarifies. “But the experience of being educated by experts in their fields and learning the boundaries,
rules and protocols to follow mitigated the chances of my death or a severe accident by a large number.”
Far from simply physical challenges, the three stunts required intense mental focus to perform. Though the Buddhist meditation he’s practiced since age 16 would help navigate the escalating difficulties, Bloom admits that the deepening in his faith that resulted came as an unexpected surprise.
“I was going into it with my usual bravado, and then I was confronted with, ‘Oh, my body won’t make that pull,’ or ‘My ears are not going to play ball at 80 feet,’ or ‘My parachute is going to fail me,’” he remembers. “Having had a Buddhist practice for so many years, the philosophy of that has been an anchor for me. But I didn’t know that the intensity of the things that I was experiencing were going to
awaken more of that.”
With three challenges conquered — four, counting his first docuseries — Bloom is unsure what’s
next for him, since diving into an unscripted project was never a consideration.
“I had a really fantastic time doing this, and I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to do it,” he says. But in a Hollywood where Tom Cruise repeatedly risks life and limb in the “Mission: Impossible” films to entertain audiences, Bloom says that the experience of filming “To the Edge” hasn’t
quite inspired him to give the 61-year-old a run for his money.
“I’m not going to try and kill myself,” says the father of two. “I like my life.”
That said, he hopes that viewers will take his inspiration and run with it, even if the obstacles they
face prove slightly more mundane than his.
“When you lean into the discomfort of life, that’s where some of the real beauty comes,” Bloom observes. “Maybe it’s public speaking or a stand-up comedy routine, something that takes you out of your comfort zone. But aside from just seeing me do this insane stuff, I hope people watch it and go, ‘What’s my edge?’”