Orlando Bloom is discussing the challenges of his demanding new film role and how his fiancée, Katy Perry, reacted to it.
Following the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of the film, Bloom shared on Friday, September 6, that Perry was quite unsettled after watching it. “She watched it and was like, ‘I need a stiff drink,’” Bloom revealed.
In the movie directed by Sean Ellis, Bloom, 47, plays an unnamed boxer who must lose a significant amount of weight to compete.
The official synopsis describes the character as “a retired fighter obsessed with getting back in the ring — even if it costs him his life.”
Reflecting on his weight loss for the role, Bloom humorously mentioned, “I was very hangry. The last three weeks in London, before we started filming, were just tuna and cucumber.”
He explained that a nutritionist had him on a strict regimen to reduce his weight before filming began, after which he gained weight during the shoot.
Perry, 39, was visibly emotional upon seeing the film’s premiere, Bloom said. “She was really moved. She knew what it took.” He added that during the filming, he was so exhausted that he felt as though he might die.
Bloom and Perry share a daughter, Daisy Dove, born in 2020, and Bloom also has a son, Flynn Christopher Blanchard Copeland, with his ex-wife Miranda Kerr.
Bloom noted, “She was there throughout, with the kids and stuff. It’s hard for your family.”
Caitriona Balfe, who stars alongside Bloom in the film as his character’s wife and trainer, acknowledged the strain of balancing intense roles with family life.
“You can do stuff like that when you’re on your own,” she said. “But when you have to come home, and you have to be a parent…”
Balfe, 44, noted that Bloom’s appearance was “gaunt” just before filming started. “The transformation was shocking… I was like, ‘You look like a raisin.’”
John Turturro, who also stars in the film as another trainer for Bloom’s character, joked that money was “the only reason [Bloom] put himself through this.”
Turturro, 67, who has also undergone dramatic physical changes for roles, shared his own experiences, saying, “On Quiz Show I gained a lot of weight, and I got sick. I got shingles. And it was horrible.”
Balfe mentioned that while she has worked long hours for roles, she has not risked her health in the same way. “I think sometimes I’ve worked 90 hours a week and you don’t sleep, which is tough.”
The Cut, with a screenplay by Justin Bull and a story by Mark Lane, is currently without a distributor or release date.