Lord of the RingsandPirates of the CaribbeaniconOrlando Bloomhas gone through a significant process in order to prepare for his next role. His latest project,The Cut, sees him playing a boxer undergoing an intense training regimen as he tries to enter the spotlight again in a future match. The role required him to go throughsevere weight loss, and the actor admits that this took a brutal toll on his body.
Bloom sat down to talk toPeoplemagazine about the sports drama, which is releasing on September 5.The Cutis directed by Sean Ellis (Anthropoid,The Broken,The Cursed), and features Bloom starring alongside Caitríona Balfe, John Turturro, Clare Dunne, and Gary Beadle, among others. When talking about the exhaustive preparation process, Bloom indicates that such a drastic weight-loss journey is “definitely not something to try at home.” The actor shared some details of how he managed to lose so much weight in such a short amount of time, andthe physical toll this took on his body:
“I was supervised weekly, and my blood work monitored by an expert nutritionist, Phillip Goglia, who helped me lose 30 pounds in approximately three months. What I hadn’t expected, and was surprised by, was the mental toll that this kind of intense discipline takes. The paranoia and anxiety were very real and disturbing, caused by the lack of sleep — it turns out you can’t sleep when you’re hungry!
“The water restriction to get to my lowest weight for the final scenes led to obsessive thoughts of food, dreaming of what I could eat when finally off a diet of tuna and cucumber.”
When sharing more plot details, Bloom remains coy, but at the very least, he says that, “This is a story about the struggles we all face and what it takes to battle our internal demons and find self-acceptance.“The Cuthad its premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, but it wasn’t until Republic Pictures picked it up for distribution that it managed to get a theatrical run in the United States. It has already gained some traction at Rotten Tomatoes, where it remains at 77% on the critics' score. The synopsis reads as follows:
After a career-ending defeat, a former champion trains for redemption – but as obsession takes hold and reality unravels, he may be spiraling into something far more terrifying.
Bloom Joins Performers Who Have Crossed the Line of Role Preparation
It’s certainly not the first time we’ve heard that an actor went through aprocess of weight lossin order to prepare for a role. Examples include Joaquin Phoenix, Jared Leto, and, of course, Christian Bale, whose role inThe Machinistremains one of those performances overshadowed by the physical look of the actor.
Orlando Bloom’sThe Cutis yet to play in theaters, but judging from his comments, it’s safe to say that his drive to make the film more realistic has placed him among the performers who crossed the line. What sets his performance apart from others is that the film’s premise regards an actual weight-cutting program that’s considered illegal in the world of sports.
If you or someone you know needs help with an eating disorder, you’re able to visit the National Eating Disorders Associationwebsite. If you are in an immediate crisis, you can text NEDA to 741-741.
