British actor Orlando Bloom, who portrayed the Elf Legolas in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy, admits that he is excited to return for The Hobbit and reunite with former Lord of the Rings cast members Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Sir Ian McKellen, and Andy Serkis: “It’s like a family reunion.”
Of his return to the character of Legolas, whom he first portrayed on the big screen over a decade ago, Bloom says, “It’s like it is in my veins, so I’m really looking forward to ‘The Hobbit’ and I think it’s going to be wonderful. I’ll miss the fact that people like Viggo Mortensen are not going to be there, but Elijah Wood is coming back to do a little thing, and it’ll be great to work with Sir Peter Jackson and Sir Ian McKellen and all the crew.”
He also adds that returning to the prequel, in which he will play an earlier version of his character, might allow a bit more freedom in portraying the Prince of Mirkwood.
“This being a prequel to ‘Lord of the Rings’ is something that I have to take into consideration when playing Legolas, of course, but I think that it also gives me a little freedom too. I wondered at first whether I was going to be able to do it, but it’s a character that I really love and I know so well.”
