And Speaking of Other Projects…: The extended version of Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven was recently released on DVD. The theatrical version didn’t do well in theaters and was panned by critics, but Bloom stands behind the extended Director’s Cut. “I say go out and buy the long version, mate. I’m so happy to have been a part of that process. I would go straight back into the desert in a ton of chain mail for Ridley any day of the week. He’s an amazing director and I can’t wait to see the long version.”
Was the theatrical release compromised? Bloom said, “I couldn’t tell you. I’m the actor. That’s not my area. Studios, agents, that’s their area. I just show up with a sword in my hand and try and kill a few whoever it is… or a squid. I’m really looking forward to that being released (on DVD) and I’m happy it’s out there. When you look at a movie like Blade Runner, when it was released, nobody got it. My hope is that one day, maybe 10, 20 years from now, people will go, ‘Wow, Ridley Scott made a movie about the Crusades at a time when America was at war, at a time when there was a lot of speculation and heat on it, and he still put that movie out there.’ Hopefully that movie will stand up and people will appreciate it.”
Dealing with Fame: How does Bloom handle it? He joked, “Terribly. Awful. I don’t know. You tell me. How does it look from the outside? I can tell you it’s terrifying on the inside.”
Bloom laughed that in order to avoid the paparazzi he hides out in caves. “I’ve got a couple of caves. I like to bury myself in them. Stay right out of the limelight. It’s a process, man. I wouldn’t change it, though. I wouldn’t change it. I love to do what I do. So I wouldn’t change it.”
