Orlando Bloomhated being part of the movieTroy, as he had no way of relating to his character in the historical epic, and subsequently blanked filming the movie out of his mind. The 2004 Wolfgang Peterson-directed movie is loved by many, but for Bloom, playing the role of Paris is one that he doesn’t look back on with much love or enthusiasm, as he didn’t want to be in the movie.
Torytells the story of the Greeks' attack on the city in 1250 BC, and pulls together a cast almost as epic as the scale of the movie itself. Bloom was joined by Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Peter O’Toole, Sean Bean, Eric Bana, andBrian Coxamong others, but during an interview withVariety for their “Know Your Lines” feature, Bloom revisited his reasons for not enjoying anything about the film despite it being popular with fans. He said:
“Oh my god, ‘Troy.’ Wow. I think I just blanked that movie out of my brain by the way. So many people love that movie, but for me playing that character was just like [slits throat]. Am I allowed to say all of these things? I didn’t want to do the movie. I didn’t want to play this character.
“The movie was great. It was Brad [Pitt]. It was Eric [Bana] and Peter O’Toole. But how am I going to play this character? It was completely against everything I felt in my being.
“At one point it says Paris crawls along the floor having been beaten by somebody and holds his brother’s leg. I was like, ‘I’m not going to be able to do this.’ One of my agents at the time said, ‘But that’s the moment that will make it!’ And I completely fell for that line of an agent. I think that’s why I blanked that from my mind.”
Troy was a Box Office Hit, but Bloom Wasn’t the Only One With Issues
Although historical epics can be hit-and-miss when it comes to box office results,Troydelivered a strong worldwide gross of $497.4 million, which was just as well considering its hefty $185 million budget – one of the highest for a movie at that time. This made the film one of the highest grossing movies of many of its stars, and audiences responded well in their reviews too, withTroyholding a 72% Rotten Tomatoes approval rate.
However, critics were not quite so on board with the film’s depiction of the sacking of Troy. With a Tomatometer score of 53%, the film divided opinion, with many praising the “brawny spectacle” but equally branding the film emotionless. The film’s screenplay by David Benioff, who would later become one of the creative forces behind HBO’sGame of Thrones, came under fire for attempting to cover the entire timeline of the Trojan War, rather than putting focus on just one part of it.
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If you’re captivated by the grandeur of Troy, there is a treasure trove of epic movies waiting for you.
Even Bloom’s co-star Brad Pitt was less than delighted with the production, notinga 2019 interview with New York Times Magazinethat he“pulled out of another movie and then had to do something for the studio. So I was put inTroy. It wasn’t painful, but I realized that the way that movie was being told was not how I wanted it to be. I made my own mistakes in it. What am I trying to say aboutTroy? I could not get out of the middle of the frame. It was driving me crazy.”
Still a spectacle 20 years later, Troyis available to stream on AMC+
