June 24, 2025, 11:12 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Orlando Bloom was one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actors in the early 2000s. However, he still regrets one role: playing Paris in Wolfgang Petersen’s epic film “Troy.” In an interview, Bloom explained why he would prefer to erase the film from his memory.
With blockbusters like “The Lord of the Rings” and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” Orlando Bloom achieved international fame. However, not every major production from that time is fondly remembered by the actor. Particularly, the 2004 historical film “Troy” ranks among the biggest missteps of his career. In the interview series “Know Their Lines” by “Variety,” he spoke openly about how much he still rejects the role of the Trojan prince Paris–and that he never really wanted to make the film.
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“Troy” was a financial success with a global box office of around $497.5 million, but it received mixed reviews. The rating on Rotten Tomatoes is only 53 percent. Alongside Orlando Bloom, stars like Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Peter O’Toole, and Diane Kruger were involved. Bloom played Paris, whose affair with Helen sparked the Trojan War. His role is thus a central, albeit not very heroic, figure in the epic. Nevertheless, for Orlando Bloom, it doesn’t bring back good memories.
Looking back, the actor says today that he has erased the film from his mind. It’s not surprising, then, that he couldn’t recognize famous quotes from “Troy” when asked by the entertainment portal “Variety” in an interview. Orlando Bloom has a simple explanation for his aversion to “Troy.” The role conflicted with him emotionally: “I didn’t want to make the film. I didn’t want to play this character. It went against everything I felt inside.”
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One scene, in particular, still embarrasses Bloom today. After losing a fight, Paris crawls to his brother Hector and clings to his leg. “I thought: ‘I can’t do this.'” However, his agent at the time said that this moment would change the film’s plot and persuaded him to continue. “I fell for that line from an agent. I think that’s why I’ve erased it from my memory.”
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Brad Pitt and Diane Kruger Also Criticize “Troy”
Orlando Bloom is not alone in his opinion of “Troy.” Two of his colleagues, who played prominent roles, also criticized the film. Brad Pitt, by his own account, never had a genuine interest in “Troy.” In an interview with the “New York Times,” he explained, according to the British “Far Out Magazine,” that he was persuaded by his agency, even though he actually preferred another project. Pitt felt uncomfortable in the role of the classic hero Achilles and felt miscast. It particularly bothered him that, as one of the main actors, he was constantly at the center of the plot. “It drove me crazy.”
Diane Kruger, who took on the role of Helen, also spoke in 2023 about the challenging filming process. The producers found her too thin, and she had to pretend during screen tests in Hollywood. “I felt like an exhibit in a room full of older men,” Kruger said. During the film’s premiere in Cannes, she felt isolated and pressured by the German press. Only a personal conversation with Brad Pitt gave her new confidence.