The Surprising and Unfair Cinematic Demise of Orlando Bloom

The man has a record six movies that have grossed $300 million+ in the US, plus another two $100 million+ earners. His popularity was actually a factor in the success of several of those pictures. He has worked with such directors as Ridley Scott (twice), Cameron Crowe, Peter Jackson (thrice), Wolfgang Petersen, and Gore Verbinski (thrice). Counting all of his pictures, his eleven films have grossed an average of $207 million (he's averaged $253 million if you only count the mainstream studio pictures). His average opening weekend for said wide releases is $61 million. From 2002 until 2007, he was a big-league heartthrob whose poster adorned the walls of many a teenage girl. He was one of People's 'Sexiest Men Alive' in 2006. Yet Orlando Bloom is nowhere to be seen in today's filmmaking landscape.

So what happened? Did he simply grow tired of fame and/or major scale Hollywood films? The back-to-back schedule of the last two Pirates of the Caribbean films allegedly took quite a toll, as I'd imagine did the back-to-back-to-back shooting schedule of the Lords of the Rings trilogy. Did he grow tired of the critical scorn and retreat to smaller projects that wouldn't be as much under a microscope? What is unusual about the rise and (relative) fall of Orlando Bloom is that his critical downfall was almost entirely due to two things: A) taking major roles in films that looked great on paper but ultimately floundered through no fault of his and B) becoming victim to critics' inexplicable expectations and/or inability to understand what a 'straight man' does in a big-budget adventure film. In essence, he was constantly attacked purely for doing his job, for being an actor first and a movie star second.

Quite a few stars have been burned in the past for signing up for disappointing films that looked like winners on paper. Alicia Silverstone may have been adrift as Batgirl in Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin, but would any teenage girl in her right mind have the foresight to turn down such a seemingly golden opportunity? And what of all those knuckleheads who honestly blamed Jake Lloyd for the flaws found in Star Wars: Episode One: The Phantom Menace? Did critics and geeks honestly expect young Lloyd to say "Well, as wonderful as the opportunity to play Anakin Skywalker seems on the surface, the script has pacing and exposition issues and I know Mr. Lucas is not the best director of actors, so I cannot trust him to properly direct me in a way that makes up for my inherent inexperience as an performer."? By the same token, no young male actor would consider for one second turning down the lead role in a coming-of-age story written and directed by Cameron Crowe. Yes, the film ended up being Elizabethtown, but is that really Bloom's fault? No actor could have survived a film that was filled with trite voice over and contained a first half which required the lead to talk to himself in monologue for nearly an hour.

Nor is it Orlando Bloom's fault that nearly every critic went into Kingdom of Heaven expecting a sequel to Gladiator. Countless reviews complained that Balin de Ibelin, the thoughtful, war-wary blacksmith, was not the brooding, muscle-bound, vengeful Maximus Decimus Meridius and that Orlando Bloom was not Russell Crowe. Whether or not Kingdom of Heaven is a better movie than Gladiator (I think it so, no matter which cut you're watching) is irrelevant. What was troubling was how few critics (and audience members, few that there were) could comprehend that it was a different movie from Gladiator. If Ridley Scott wanted a Russell Crowe-type character in Kingdom of Heaven, don't you think he would have gone ahead and just cast Russell Crowe again? They've worked together on four occasions (Gladiator, A Good Year, American Gangster, and Body Of Lies), it's obvious that they get along.

This also ties into the other problem that Bloom has faced... being critically torn apart not because of his acting, but because of the content of the character he was playing. In summer 2004, Orlando Bloom took the supporting role of Paris in Wolfgang Petersen's Troy. Once again, would you turn down a major role in a big-budget sword-and-sandals epic that allowed you to cross swords with Brad Pitt, have sex with Diane Kruger, and share scenes with onscreen father Peter O'Toole? Yet, whatever issues the film does have, I cannot count the number of reviews that criticized Bloom not specifically for his acting, but for his portrayal of Paris as a spineless, selfish, cowardly idiot, a boy who started an epic war because he couldn't keep his pecker in his pants. But guess what people? THAT's the character of Paris. Rather than try to make Paris into a more heroic and sympathetic character, Bloom played him as exactly the sniveling loser that he was.

Bloom's tragic need to actually do his job haunted him even in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. What so many critics and audience members failed to understand is that it was Orlando Bloom's straight-man performance that allowed Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow to exist in the narrative in the first place. Yes, compared with Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow, Orlando Bloom looked pretty dull. But that is the burden of the straight man. A lesser actor would have demanded that he be allowed to be larger-than-life and crowd-pleasingly comedic as well, but Bloom knew that it was his job to counter-balance the off-the-wall antics of Johnny Depp. Because Bloom's Will Turner fulfilled the genre requirement of having a straight-arrow heroic figure, and his relationship with somewhat more-complicated Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) fulfilled the demand for sea-faring romance, Johnny Depp was free to run wild and do whatever he damn-well felt like. If Rob Marshall and the makers of the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: At Stranger Tides think they can craft a story completely around Jack Sparrow, they are in for a rude awakening. A Pirates of the Caribbean sequel utterly and completely dominated by Jack Sparrow would be no less grating than a Shrek sequel starring only Donkey.

Even his star-making performance as Legolas Greenleaf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy speaks to his apparent onscreen generosity. After his screen-time-heavy and crowd-pleasing turn in The Two Towers, one might have thought that Legolas would have received more screen-time in Return of the King. Yet save for a single added action beat involve a single elephant, Legolas is barely featured in the third film. I certainly cannot say whether or not Bloom even tried to get more of his footage added to the final cut. But considering his track record, it is likely that Bloom knew that the third film was in no way about the Elfin warrior and thus added screen-time to appease the fan-girls would come only at the cost of the Frodo/Sam and Aragorn-centric narrative.

Yet at the end of 2009, Orlando Bloom sits with not a single major film on the horizon. For playing the straight man in a blockbuster trilogy, he was rewarded not with thanks but with Razzie nominations. For daring to star in a Ridley Scott period-action film and not attempting to retread the more crowd-pleasing predecessor, he and Scott were besot by critical scorn and audience indifference. For having the gall to play a sniveling, sympathetic and unheroic schmuck as sniveling, unsympathetic and unheroic, he was criticized as if that was the fault of his performance rather than the original character. And finally for having the terrible luck to star in Cameron Crowe's worst written and directed movie, he was tainted as the cause of said failure. Orlando Bloom may not be the world's greatest actor, but he has suffered the fate even worse than that of many like him (Keanu Reeves, Kevin Costner, Harrison Ford) who dare to put the movie first and stardom second. By refusing to be larger than the character and larger than the narrative, he was tagged as a wooden performer and banished from Hollywood. For the sake of all who feel that serving the story should come before serving their own career, I hope to see Mr. Bloom back on the silver screen sometime soon. He may not have deserved Oscars, but he deserved more than just our scorn.

For more essays of this nature, including defenses of Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage, as well as much-needed praise for Michael Wincott and Donnie Wahlberg, go to Mendelson's Memos..

Follow Scott Mendelson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ScottMendelson

Comments

[ansem]

Thank you for the insightful article. I've been a fan of Bloom for quite some time - and before someone chimes in with the typical "brilliant" comeback that really isn't, no, I'm not a teenage girl ruled by her hormones - it's refreshing to see someone simply write an article without throwing in snotty asides about what an awful actor he is (an inaccurate assessment, IMO).

Hollywood does eat its own, and it seems that Bloom has opted to remove himself from that equation. Many would say that he is being "forced" to go the indie route, but that he chose to do a small play in London at the height of his career instead of accepting an easy paycheck role in another summer blockbuster leads one to assume that wasn't the case. But regardless of the reason, it seems his disappearance from the mainstream has paid off. He has three movies filmed and several lined up, so while the hype and attention surrounding him has cooled considerably, his career is still strong. It seems that he has chosen roles that will allow him to grow his talent.

This is a smart move on his part, and I hope it pays off for him. He does have talent, as his performances in Ned Kelly, Haven and on Extras have shown, and I look forward to seeing it progress. Those that don't agree and continue to insist that he's worthless are under no obligation to see his movies, professional critics aside.

[savvysearch]

It sort of is his fault. Too many bad choices. How many years did it take from his career to play WIll Turner in the Pirates movie? He played the same role since forever! It took 5 years when he could have done more substantial things. Your Hollywood stock only counts for the first film no matter how successful the sequels are. After that, it's the law of diminishing return.

I'm still rooting for him, though.

[Levi Novey - Huffpost Blogger]

Well written, Scott.

I think Orlando Bloom could have a comeback. I'm not sure if it's too soon to lament his demise, but you are right that he certainly fell of the map.

[Steve Miller - Huffpost Blogger]

This is more a comment on the state of Hollywood, all media and society than it is of Mr. Bloom. In this era of instant gratification, no star or movie she/he performs in is given time to make its way into public consciousness. Films are pulled after one weekend if they don't earn a certain amount of money, stars are thrown to the side of the road if those flicks don't hit the assigned magic number and directors don't work again if they aren't christened as gold. Success is measured in pre-release buzz, not in the true quality of the effort. The list of alleged flops that eventually become so-called cult classics has increased exponentially as our attention spans grow shorter and shorter. For every pan disseminated by out-of-touch critics, there are two or three pictures or shows that are truly good and never given a chance.

Mr. Bloom has also run into the law of rising and falling expectations. After his first success, he was anointed the second coming with the acting talent of Olivier and the good looks of Pitt. It was thought that he would be on top for years to come. But, like any other actor, or anyone else for that matter, he will have his successes and failures.

[nimeataur]

critics always dish good looking stars the stuff thrown at olrlando boom verges on assasination, however he was light years ahead of clive owen and colin farrel in simliar epics ,he out acted heath ledger in ned kelly and did not need prosthetic enhancement like brad pitt in troy or crowe in gladiator and he did his own stunts unlike johnny in pirates who had 5 doubles, if any doubts he can act then they should have seen him on stage. i for one am heartily sick of all knockers, the article itself is hardly helpfull, this all got rolling when he changed his management seeing how things have turned out stupid move,jude law did the same look at him now .orlando is no better no worse than anyother actor off his generation he just takes more stick,well me being a brit we dont take bullying and there's one here at least whose prepared to do battle for what i think is a worthy cause

[elyely]

i'm quite surprised by this article as i know that orlando bloom has several films lined up this year and next year.

[heroesnvillains]

This post should be titled "In Defense of Mediocrity". I think Bloom, as the star of most of his films, needs to bear some of the responsibility when they fail, if he would also enjoy their successes. Ridley Scott was pressured by the studio to cast Orlando Bloom in "Kingdom of Heaven" under threat of a revoked green light on the film, and I imagine Cameron Crowe faced a similar scenario for the reason that Mr. Mendelson hits so hard in the beginning of his post. Bloom has consistently shown a lack of charisma, audience enchantement, or the ability to bring in any real box office without the considerable support of A listers like Depp and Pitt. Bloom is where is he is not by choice I'm sure. That he was ever relevant was really a lucky coincidence of landing a minor role in a major trilogy and being handsome enough to get attention. It never meant he was any great actor, as Mr. Mendelson even acknowledges. The fact that he's "not that bad" is not reason enough to pony up the price of a movie ticket, especially when there are so many more talented and hard working actors and film makers out there to spend it on.

[CFAmick]

The Hollywood systems appears to not have rejected him. Sounds like he's taking some time off to re-evaluate his career instead of charging forward with the first script that lands on his desk, a la Nic Cage.

[kpg2]

I absolutely agree Scott! I am looking forward to more from Orlando. Troy aired on cable last night and it ocurred to me that the cirtique that Orlando got was unfairly based on the character and not his honest portrayal of Paris. Kingdom of Heaven is one of the most beautifully haunting films I've seen. Orlando's portrayal of Balian has a pure and quiet depth that is timeless. Not every actor can be believable in these historical contexts - real and vulnerable while wielding ancient weapons -- the bow, the sword -- that are more extensions of the man than a gun could every could be.. For me Orlando is so much more than a "teen idol" -- he is a compelling young actor that should carve himself a place in the film industry and hold his territory. I trust that he will push through to future successes.

[Milinda]

I can't say that I think Orlando Bloom is a fantastic actor, because for me, he has a curious lack of charisma on screen. That's odd to me since he is very attractive and has an interesting name. Interesting names do help, look at Leonardo Di Caprio. But unlike Leo, Orlando has not managed to jump off the screen at me the way Depp does or others. And that includes a stadium full of actresses, too. Maybe he just needs to get some more age on him or life experience.

[TXfemmom]

Heck, most women would pay just to get to see him talk.

[NotaBeliever]

I still love him, and am more than content that he should get some experience and gravitas in smaller film and/or stage productions. That's what guys do if they're serious about their craft and can't seem to catch the major bigtime starring roles after their first splash. And what a splash he has made! If he never made another movie, never trod another stage, he's been a major success.

[jdl51]

Every Hollywood career has its ups and downs. I hadn't realized Bloom's was down until you brought it up. If he retired today, he's had more of a successful career than probably 99% of the actors that have ever existed, and I'm sure he'll never have to worry about paying the bills for the rest of his life. I for one can't understand why anyone would want to continue that career path with all it's downside once you've made enough to keep you fat and happy. As an artist, I would think that directing or producing would be a helluva lot more rewarding.

[MorpheusXNYC]

There's one possibility not considered: that movie going audiences don't WANT to see conventioanl straight men anymore. They don't want to see liveliness counterbalanced by dull orthodoxy and subtlety.

Maybe it's because the straight man has been redefined over the last few decades by incredible performances by actors who bring gravitas to the role and deliver straight men who emote more deeply with penetrating stares, knowing looks, gravely voices, cleverly turned phrases and occasional bursts of pathos heretofore unseen in traditional Hollywood straight men.

Who said the straight man has to be Clark Kent all the time?

[Kathleen Kelly]

Orlando Bloom is a pretty boy with no presence whatsoever. He is simply overwhelmed by whatever actor or piece of scenery he is standing next to.

[averygard]

True. Unfortunately, I could say that about a lot of "actresses" these days too. I'm no more into the pretty-but-vacuous boys than I the pretty-but-vacuous girls.