With the exception of the quick turn in Wilde, he is unusual in having played lead roles throughout his career and was constantly conscious of the pressure: "Being afraid to fuck it up, basically." He finished Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven on one day and started filming for Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown the next. It began to feel like a marathon relay. In Celebration is a deliberate change of pace.
Bloom is a Buddhist. Does its philosophy of serenity help him with the pressures of acting? He becomes suddenly tense. "The philosophy of Buddhism is connected to everything," he says. "So it probably does have some connection with acting, yes." What drew him to Buddhism? "It's not something I talk about. I was brought up with sins and harms, I mean hymns and psalms, getting some of it but it not being enough. I found the philosophy of Buddhism attractive."
Bloom belongs to a new generation of actors whose entire careers are available on DVD. If they wished, they could carry all their work around with them on a video iPod. Is he tempted?
"No," he says. "I've never even watched one of the DVDs. I sometimes think it would be nice to show your kids one day. Sometimes I catch a glimpse in hotel rooms or on planes, and think, 'Eurggh, is that what I was doing?'"
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