Born in Kent, Orlando Bloom, 44, played Legolas in The Lord Of The Rings and Will Turner in the Pirates Of The Caribbean films. His latest movie, Retaliation, is released digitally on 26 March. He lives in Santa Barbara with his partner, the singer Katy Perry, and their daughter; he also has a son with his former wife, the model Miranda Kerr.
When were you happiest?
When I was about to embark on filming The Lord Of The Rings, prior to any kind of fame or notoriety, full of hope and dreams, and excitement of the adventures ahead.
What is your greatest fear?
I am not a very fearful person, but it’s not making good on promises to myself.
What is your earliest memory?
Harry Bloom, my mother’s husband, came out of his office and said, “Hello, Orlando” and smiled. He’d just had a stroke and this line of drool came from his mouth, and it made me feel weird. I must have been three.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I try to like myself these days.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Entitlement.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
When I was four, I was on stage, dressed as a monkey. I turned around so I wasn’t facing the audience and scratched my bottom, which obviously brought the house down. It mortified me. That probably gave me stage fright, which I’ve been living with since.
What is your most treasured possession?
My gohonzon, a Buddhist scroll that I chant to every day.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
An actor or stuntman: I loved Lee Majors in The Fall Guy.
What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you?
A teacher at school said something I don’t want to repeat. I had dyslexia; it was an insult to my intellect.
What do you owe your parents?
Aside from life, they let me be me – they were hands-off, and I wasn’t smothered.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My son, Flynn, and my daughter, Daisy Dove, a dog called Mighty and then, of course, my fiancee.
What was the best kiss of your life?
I had a girlfriend when I was 17 called Debbie: that was a kiss.
What is the closest you’ve come to death?
At 20, I fell from a fourth-floor window and broke my back. For four days they said I’d never walk again, but I had a miraculous recovery.
When did you last cry, and why?
I lost my poodle, Mighty. He was out of my sight for just seven minutes; he went out on an adventure and didn’t come back, and was taken by a coyote, I think. It was awful, really painful; he taught me about love and loyalty, and how the connection between living beings can be.
How often do you have sex?
Not enough – we just had a baby, though.
What has been your closest brush with the law?
Speeding tickets.
What is your most unappealing habit?
Since breaking my back I have a problem with my prostate, so I pee a lot, sometimes in nature.
What is your favourite smell?
Fresh-cut grass.
How would you like to be remembered?
As kind.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Don’t take it personally.
Where would you most like to be right now?
Right here: present to my experience of my life.
Tell us a secret
Sadly, I don’t believe there is anything that people don’t know about me.
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