Orlando Bloom talks The Rings of Power: "It was really courageous"
The actor, known for playing Legolas, is "looking forward to more".
Orlando Bloom has weighed in on Prime Video's ambitious The Lord of the Rings prequel series, having risen to fame in the cast of Peter Jackson's earlier adaptation of Middle-earth.
The actor became known for playing elven archer Legolas in the trilogy of films released at the start of the millennium, later reprising the role for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and its 2014 sequel.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power tells a story set thousands of years before JRR Tolkien's main saga, drawing on supplemental materials from the late novelist as well as original creations by the series writers.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com ahead of the launch of Carnival Row season 2, which also airs on Prime Video, Bloom said that he "loved" seeing a fresh take on the beloved fantasy saga.
"I had missed Tolkien," he said. "I had missed Tolkien's mind and I’d missed his world and I’d missed his vision – and I think they just stepped back into Tolkien's world. I thought it was really courageous.
"It’s not an easy thing to take on another version of something that had such a remarkable run of its own, but I thought it was really admirable; the casting, the story and the way they approached the world... I'm looking forward to more of it."
The Rings of Power has already been renewed for season 2, which is filming now, with the intention being for the show to run for a total of five – with the final shot already decided on by the show's head creatives.
Bloom added: "Peter [Jackson] did an amazing job, obviously, with The Lord of the Rings and we got to play these great characters. But they've kind of gone back and gone, ‘Look, these characters still exist in this world and we can show you other aspects of them’.
"I was like, ‘Cool, I'm down for that!’"
Read more:
- Rings of Power star on playing Sauron and when he discovered his role
- Rings of Power season 2 casts His Dark Materials star and more
Last year, Bloom shared an Instagram photo of himself and The Rings of Power star Ismael Cruz Córdova, which was captioned "mellon", an Elvish term for "friend" in the Sindarin language.
Fans interpreted this as a show of solidarity with Córdova, who had been the victim of racist trolling since signing onto The Rings of Power, with several other members of the cast also being targeted.
In an Instagram post, Córdova responded to the abuse: "I’ve continued this quest in the hope that I would make it at least a little bit easier for someone else. And perhaps inspire at least one person to do the same.
"In there I kept my Elven dream alive. And here I am. Black, Latino, Puerto Rican, proud, and Elven AF."
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Carnival Row is available to stream on Prime Video. Season 2 arrives Friday 17th February 2023. Sign up for a 30-day free trial of Prime Video and pay £8.99 a month after that.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
