Orlando Bloom thought he was going to ‘die’ due to drastic weight loss for movie role

Orlando Bloom lost nearly a third of his body weight to play a boxer in his new film and the transformation almost cost him his life.

Orlando Bloom lost nearly a third of his body weight to play a revived boxer in his upcoming film, The Cut, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last week.

The actor, 47, detailed the rigorous process, admitting that it impacted more than just his physical health.

“I basically tiered down the food over a three-month period until just before filming, [when] I was at my lightest. I dropped 52 pounds [23kg], and I was about 185 [83kg] when I started,” Bloom said at Variety’s Toronto Film Festival Studio.

“I dropped quite a lot of weight, and I was very mentally challenged as well.”

Orlando Bloom plays a boxer in his new movie The Cut.

In a conversation with People magazine, the Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings star elaborated on his preparation for what he called a “taxing” role, saying, “I was very hangry … The last three weeks in London, before we started filming, were just tuna and cucumber.”

In the film, Bloom’s character is tasked with losing an excessive amount of weight in a six-day period in order to step back into the ring.

Bloom says his longtime partner, singer Katy Perry, found his transformation harrowing. After viewing the film, Perry “was freaked out,” Bloom shared. “She watched it and was like, ‘I need a stiff drink.’”

But she also cried.

“She was really moved. She knew what it took,” Bloom said.

Bloom said he lost 23kg in a short period of time while filming. Picture: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

The actor said fiancée Katy Perry cried over his transformation. Picture: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

Bloom said that over the course of filming, he thought he might not make it.

“I literally thought I was gonna die,” he told the outlet, adding that Perry supported him every step of the way. “She was there throughout, with the kids and stuff … It’s hard for your family.”

In 2020, Bloom and Perry welcomed their first child together, daughter Daisy Dove. Bloom first became a father in 2011, when he and ex-wife Miranda Kerr welcomed their son, Flynn.

Bloom’s co-star, Caitríona Balfe, told the outlet that having a family only amplifies the anguish of the challenging filming process.

Bloom’s cut co-star Caitriona Balfe likened him to a “raisin” while filming. Picture: Robin Marchant/Getty Images

“You can do stuff like that when you’re on your own, it’s one thing about being single. We were all younger before we had families [and] you can kind of throw yourself into something. But when you have to come home, and you have to be a parent.”

Balfe said the English actor looked “gaunt” prior to filming.

“The transformation was shocking … I was like, ‘You look like a raisin.’”

Bloom said that throughout the filming process, he gained weight back.

This article originally appeared in Fox News and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Orlando Bloom thought he was going to ‘die’ due to drastic weight loss for movie role