“My body was shutting down. It was a very real experience,” the actor told Entertainment Weekly.
Orlando Bloom took extreme measures to prepare for his role in The Cut, a dark psychological boxing drama directed by Sean Ellis. In the film, Bloom plays a struggling boxer who must shed 30 pounds in a week to qualify for a title fight. To embody the role, Bloom underwent a drastic physical transformation, mirroring his character’s intense weight loss process.
“We shot in reverse chronological order, so I was at my lightest at the start of filming,” Bloom shared during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. “My brain was dead, and my body was shutting down. It was a very real experience.”
Bloom worked with a nutritionist, who guided him through a strict regime. At one point, he lost 10 pounds overnight following a bath in Epsom salts and hydration, though he cautioned others against trying this method. “It was like a science experiment. But please, don’t try this at home.”
The role took both a physical and mental toll on Bloom, leaving him calorie-depleted and dehydrated during filming. “What it does to the psyche is way more interesting,” he reflected, calling the experience challenging yet insightful into the extreme lengths people go to in pursuit of greatness.