Orlando Bloom has revealed the extreme measures he undertook to lose weight for his upcoming role in the psychological thriller The Cut – measures that came with some unpleasant side effects. The 48-year-old appeared on Wednesday's instalment of This Morning to discuss his intense diet and was quizzed by hosts Rylan Clark and Josie Gibson on how he transformed his physique for his role in Sean Ellis's film. Orlando went on to reveal he had the help of a nutritionist and was closely watched throughout his weight loss journey.
"Your physical transformation was absolutely insane, what you had to do. How did you manage?" asked Rylan. "I wouldn't recommend to anyone at home, it's not something to take lightly. I had a great nutritionist," replied Orlando. "I was recommended by one of my agents who worked with Christian Bale on some stuff, so he was checking my bloods and stuff."
Orlando went on to explain that his daily meals were gradually cut down. "He basically tiered me down from three meals a day to two, to one. Suddenly, all these foods were being taken away from me, and my protein powder was the last one. I was like 'No! Don't take that one," he shared. "Then basically I came down to [eating] just tuna and cucumber for the last three weeks."
The drastic results came with some serious downsides. "We shot the film in reverse chronological order because of the weight. I had no energy or brain power. Mentally, physically, I was hangry. I was a horrible person to be around," he admitted. "The paranoia, the intrusive thoughts. We're supposed to eat and sleep and take care of ourselves. It's really a commentary on the lengths a person will go to to have that second shot. I think that's so relatable."
Orlando then shared how these measures happen more often than not in the real world. "Last time we were in this studio, we were talking about this guy who was running the country for charity, people swim the channel, people do crazy things," he said. "But athletes do this on the regular. We take it to the extreme for the purposes of the movie…"
The Cut
The trio then delved deeper into a discussion about Orlando’s character, the unnamed boxer. "In a way, he loses his identity, which is partly why Boxer is called Boxer," shared the star. "It's something that is transferable to anyone in some way."
The Cut hits screens on September 5.