Orlando Bloom's Lord Of The Rings Haircut Was Perfect For One Off-Set Activity

At a recent partial reunion for the cast of "The Lord of the Rings," Legolas actor Orlando Bloom shared how some of the actors bonded through off-set activities while filming in the paradise of New Zealand. He explained that he used to get away for the weekend with the four Hobbit actors, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd. They would rent a bach (a Kiwi term for a seaside villa), cook out, and go surfing. In Bloom's words (via EW), "It was really magical."

The British actor pointed out that he even looked the part, thanks to his role as the Elven princeling of Mirkwood. "I had my crazy mohawk," he said. "I raised my hairline to make me look a bit more Elven and older. They wouldn't have to do that now, 'cause my hair is receding. But they shaved me and kinda shaved it all the way back, so I had this mohawk, and it was pretty good for the surf look, too."

The story of four Hobbits and an Elf catching waves off the Land of the Long White Cloud is another one to add to the endless annals of behind-the-scenes stories connected to Peter Jackson's era-defining trilogy. It slots in alongside other classic remembrances, like the fact that Aragorn was initially cast as a different person, Boromir actor Sean Bean refused to use helicopters to reach mountaintop sets, and Viggo Mortensen gifted Arwen's stunt double with a horse. The cast even got tattoos to commemorate their time together. (Well, most of them.)

Orlando Bloom's experience on "The Lord of the Rings" wasn't just spending magical seaside weekends surfing and eating barbecue with friends. He also revealed that his character made him a target for a lot of jokes while filming. "I was the butt of most of the jokes, 'cause I never got dirty," he explained. "Legolas never gets blood, never gets dirty. Viggo would love to talk about my pretty hair, clean face and hands and nails and stuff."

Fortunately, Bloom doesn't appear to have absorbed any long-term emotional hurt from the ribbing. While he was quick to recount it almost 25 years later, he made sure to clarify that "it was funny." He also spent time reflecting on the bond he built between himself and his castmates, most of whom were similarly young and not too far into their acting careers at the time. 

"I was 20 or 21," he said. "We were all young. There was a lot of fun. We were a family of friends." When talking to Variety last year about his potential involvement in another upcoming Middle-earth film, Bloom even went so far as to say, "It was a pretty magical time in my life, and it's one of those things where there's not a downside to it." The guy clearly had a lot of fun and doesn't regret the experience, teasing and all.

The question on everyone's minds these days is whether we'll see the old guard of "Lord of the Rings" icons re-emerge on the silver screen again. There are connection point characters — like Gandalf, Galadriel, Elrond, and Sauron — but none of the original actors have shown up in Prime Video's "The Rings of Power" series. It makes sense that the actors wouldn't overlap, however, since it's a different studio (Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" films are through New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros.) and the story takes place in a much earlier era of Middle-earth history.

We're more likely to see the OG crew re-emerge in the upcoming "The Hunt for Gollum" movie currently in production at Warner Bros. Pictures. We already know the movie will feature Gollum actor Andy Serkis, both to reprise that role and direct the film. There have been rumors (but little solid information) about the return of several other actors as well, including Viggo Mortensen (as Aragorn), Elijah Wood (as Frodo), Ian McKellen (as Gandalf), and yes, Orlando Bloom as Legolas. 

Ironically, Bloom left some fans furious back in September 2024, when he talked about de-aging characters with AI as a potential option for the new project. However, the pushback was mostly about a resistance to new technology and not the actor himself. The fact that his character is one we could easily see in the film makes it that much more likely that Bloom will find his way back to Middle-earth. As of this writing, though, nothing is official other than a likely December 2027 release date.