Orlando Bloom: Reading Habits, Legolas and The Hobbit Connection
On Jimmy Kimmel Live, Orlando Bloom confessed that he never finished reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He noted that as a kid he devoured The Hobbit, but he paused partway through The Lord of the Rings because, as he explained, girls were far more interesting. This lighthearted admission sits beside a deeper reflection on his approach to the role of Legolas and how he balanced personal inspiration with the demands of a sprawling adaptation. The moment stands out because Bloom stepped into a world long beloved by fans with a mixture of youth and surprising candor, illustrating how even someone who would become a household name engaged with Tolkien’s saga in a way that mixed humor with humility.
Bloom describes how reading The Hobbit shaped his early imagination while the scale of The Lord of the Rings required a different perspective, and he explains that Peter Jackson earned his trust by balancing fan loyalty with fidelity to Tolkien’s lore. He noted that Jackson kept one eye on the heart of the source material and another on delivering a successful cinematic experience that could resonate with audiences around the world. Bloom’s answer underscored a collaborative mindset that accompanies big screen adaptations: respect for the source, trust in leadership, and a willingness to add his own performance within a broader vision. This balance helped Bloom feel comfortable with his portrayal even though his own reading was not exhaustive.
The LORD OF THE RINGS volume is widely described as a sprawling epic that runs well beyond a thousand pages. The length makes it a time consuming undertaking for any reader, even those with a lifelong interest in fantasy literature. Some readers and scholars describe the work as unfinished at points, given Tolkien’s ongoing world building and the numerous notes and languages that accompany the narrative. Bloom’s personal encounter with the text in preparation for the films is a reminder that the cinematic adaptation required condensing vast material into a coherent arc that could be staged with dramatic impact. The discussion around length and completeness also mirrors the broader conversation about how best to translate a rich literary construct into a visual narrative that can sustain audience attention across multiple hours and installments. The result is a version that many fans celebrate for its ambition, even as some hold fast to the belief that certain strands of the original manuscript remain open to interpretation.
Interestingly, Bloom was able to explore parts of the saga that did not feature Legolas, offering him a different angle on Middle-earth lore and its sprawling setting. This selective reading is consistent with the way many actors approach literary worlds that inform their performances while focusing their attention on the roles they play. The experience reflects the dynamic between author, script, and screen, where a performer can draw inspiration from broader lore while delivering a distinct interpretation that serves the story being told on film. It also hints at how a single character can anchor a franchise yet exist within a much larger mythos that continuously expands across books, films, and fan communities.
Looking ahead to film releases, audiences could see Bloom on screen again in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, a chapter in the prequel trilogy that hit theaters in December 2013. The release brought together a star-studded cast and a fresh look at Tolkien’s world through Peter Jackson’s lens. The film expanded the story begun in The Hobbit and carried momentum into the wider Middle-earth saga, delivering a brisk blend of action, humor, and high stakes adventure that resonated with fans and newcomers alike. The collaboration between Bloom and Jackson contributed to a version of the tale that remained faithful to the spirit of Tolkien while offering a modern cinematic experience that kept audiences engaged across the globe.