ORLANDO BLOOM: To the table? Yeah, there is a little more to mind with him this time in terms of that relationship with his father. There’s obviously this character of Tauriel, there is an interesting kind of Elven appreciation for her, if you like.
I think Legolas sees her like– It’s a bit like a star-crossed lover because she’s not– It’s sort of like an elf on the wrong side of the tracks, if you like. Do you know what I mean? Because he wouldn’t really be able to entertain that idea, and yet on some level, he probably likes the idea of it. So that’s an interesting thing that you didn’t see in Rings at all.
Actually, we shot the end of the movie yesterday, the end of the third movie, and it all– Everything that Legolas does in these two movies seems to all be tied up quite neatly into who and why he goes off into the Fellowship of the Ring. Which I clearly really like.
There’s a direct reference we just shot to who I will go, in fact, and try and find and meet up with, which I think the fans will really love. I hope. Fans of Rings and fans of Pete and Fran’s and Phil’s, I think they will all really appreciate the idea behind that stuff. So yeah, there’s a little bit more, a few more levels to him.
But they are slightly in a meditative state, Elves, aren’t they? Let’s face it. They are sort of zenned out. It’s a really fun character. It’s a different character I should say. For me it’s fun, but maybe not for everyone. But it’s like you’re totally in a zone all the time, and then able to kill things very easily and not age.
There’s a lot of really awesome things about being an elf. There’s a lot of fantastic things about them. I think you’ll see some differences for this character moving forward. And I think it works, because he is in his own environment. So in a way, he may be a little more surefooted in his own environment. Because in Rings, of course, he goes off on his own, and he’s just conscious of the world being a very dangerous place. So I think it all plays out quite well.
MEDIA: In the original trilogy, the cast and crew, all of you were able to become quite bonded and become very close friends. On this one, have you had a similar experience that now everybody’s an established star? Even the new people to the franchise are established in different ways, so how has the bonding with everyone gone on this one?
ORLANDO BLOOM: Yeah, it’s great. I kind of came and went an awful lot through the main bulk of shooting last year. I was here and then not here and there were big– I would come in and do what I needed to do, and then I would leave because of my personal commitments at home and things.
But I think if you were talking to the dwarves about their family relationship, the guys that had been on the ground for two years, or nearly two years, or more, yeah, there’s a real sense of family and unity. And I have that within my perspective of it.
Of course, it’s different to my experience on Rings, but for them it’s their experience, and for me it’s mine, and it’s great. Yeah, there’s definitely a sense of family feel when you’re all together for so long.
MEDIA: You talked about how Legolas’ arc dovetails in to set up what Lord of the Rings is. How much do you feel, from what you’ve seen of the other characters and the overall narrative, there’s been a conscious effort to bridge this into the first three movies?
ORLANDO BLOOM: I think there’s been a very conscious effort to do that. Just from the experience of my character, they are very aware and conscious of this being the prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and that it all does feel like it moves into the trilogy that follows, which we shot before, obviously. But it’s wonderful, which I think show real dedication to the world, to the stories, to the fans of the stories, and to the people who love these worlds and love these stories.
I think you have to be open to– They are not for everyone, but for people who love them, I think they find a real place in their hearts. I honestly feel that Pete, Fran and Phil are very respectful and conscious of the experience of watching these movies for an audience, for fans of the worlds that these stories take place in, and for the real fans of Tolkien and the books.
So I think that there’s– Where there is some creative license, it’s all done in the desire to entertain in the best way possible, which I think is why they tied up my story at the end of this movie, and makes it feel like it will flow really beautifully into Lord of The Rings. I think you’ll feel that about all of it when you finish the trilogy. Cool.
MEDIA: A chorus of goodbyes.
