From: Aelinwen

Orlando Bloom was a guest on the UK’s anarchic morning programme, the ‘Big Breakfast’ today. His hair had grown so that the shaved image we’ve become so familiar with had gone. He spoke a few words about his doll, sorry, action figure; it does, apparently, have his approval, and he was interviewed mainly about LOTR:FOTR but also mentioned the Ridley Scott film, ‘Black Hawk Down’

He said how he sent off his audition for the film, ‘along with everyone else’ and was really surprised to be chosen for such a major role. He gently corrected the interviewer who refered to him twice as ‘King of the Elves’, pointing out that he was a prince. He then showed his tattoo!!!

It’s on his arm, girls, calm down.

He was a little nervous about showing it, saying it was supposed to be secret and confirmed that it was a 9 in Elvish. It looked more like the word for nine (nerte) (jps file enclosed to show the difference) than the numeral 9.

He spoke some Elvish! Forgive me if I can’t transcribe it but I’m sure it was a greeting in Sindarin to other elves at Lothlorien, definitely said ‘…Mae (?) govannen’ and ‘Lothlorien’

Then there was an interview with three members of the Tolkien Society.

The Tolkien Society

Alex, Anke and sorry…couldn’t read name tag of the last one.. They were treated very kindly, if somewhat ironically, but their enthusiasm came through. They brought along a copy of ‘Amon Hen’ bulliten and generally explained what the society was, what it did and how you could join. Last question was, ‘Was it necessary to have a beard to join?’ which gives you a
flavour of the interview…

Then there was a typical Big Breakfast type section, where a pile of e-mailed questions for Orlando were pinned to an archery target and a UK longbow champion had to shoot at it. Any question she pinned with an arrow Orlando had to answer

The first was, ‘How close was the film to the book?’

He said, with commendable sincerity…very close, as close as they could possibly make it.

second question…sent by a student? When he was in NZ did he meet someone called Vale, to which Orlando replied, very gamely, that yes! he had…

Last question was had he made any special friendships with others during the film. The fellowship, he said, everyone was so close in the making of the film but he had made close friends with the fellowship.