‘An Education’: The movie Orlando Bloom regrets quitting
A key figure in early 2000s fantasy cinema, Orlando Bloom can now boast acting credits in two of the most popular and timeless movie franchises of all time: The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean. Bloom has also ventured into Hollywood stand-alone, ranging from war dramas to romantic comedies. Through his onscreen appearances, the actor has garnered 36 total award nominations in total, a figure that exemplifies his efforts. However, losing out on the opportunity to secure a nomination for Lone Scherfig’s coming-of-age drama An Education has led the actor to cite the film as the one he regrets.
An Education was released in 2009, premiering at the Sundance Festival before undergoing a subsequent international release. Narrating the story of a bright schoolgirl (Carey Mulligan), who falls under the seduction of a conman (played by Peter Sarsgaard), Scherfig’s film won audiences over with its witty charm, engaging performances, and stylised presentation of 1960s London. To complement the audience praise, An Education also garnered attention on the biggest stage: the Academy Awards.
In an alternative universe, it could have been Orlando Bloom on the receiving end of these accolades, having been the original choice for the leading role of Danny, who is conman David Goldman’s best friend and partner in crime. However, the Lord of the Rings star was forced to drop out of production due to scheduling conflicts as he had to work on several other projects. As a result, Dominic Cooper, now known for his Marvel appearances and role in My Weekend with Marilyn, was offered the lead role in Nick Hornby’s scripted movie. Shortly after, it was then tipped for a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Watching on as the praise was lauded on Cooper, Bloom looked on with regret. According to a Daily Mail source, “Orlando is a huge fan of Nick Hornby, and he bitterly regrets the decision”.
The source also offered a different reason for the actor’s parting from the project: “He backed out because he thought it revolved too much around the British class system, and he wanted to do more gritty movies instead.” An Education’s locations include the suburbs of Twickenham, Middlesex (incorrectly referred to as ‘Twickenham, London’), with the University of Oxford appearing as a key location that the protagonist aspires to join. The character also purchases paintings by Edward Burne-Jones at auctions and buys Chanel perfume as gifts for teachers.
This emphasis on middle to upper-class lifestyles was alluded to as a reason for Bloom’s departure, as the actor opted for something less polished. The actor fulfilled this goal in 2013 when he appeared in Zulu, a French-South African crime film about a program for biological and chemical weapons. However, seeing the success An Education and Cooper recieved led the actor to a state of “wishing he hadn’t” dropped out so soon on style assumptions.
