Orlando Bloom is a British actor born on January 13, 1977 in Canterbury, England. He is well known for his roles in the movie series “The Lord of the Rings” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”. He had starred alongside famous artists like Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt.
Bloom had been into arts even at an early age. He attended drama school and joined theater organizations. He partakes in different plays and stage performances which eventually lead him to Hollywood.
Behind his success in his acting career, Orlando Bloom also have a fair share of struggles growing up. When he was seven, he was diagnosed with dyslexia. In a video interview by Made By Dyslexia, Bloom shared how he suffered growing up with the condition. He admits how school was not easy for him. He sometimes gets so angry and frustrated with himself because he feels stupid. He struggles a lot in spelling and writing. In a separate video by Freedom of Speech Ltd, Bloom was asked how he handles homework during his school days, and he said it was a nightmare. “Homework was always hard for me, writing essays, dissertation. As I say, getting my thoughts on a page, it was so difficult.” he added.
Bloom also recalls the struggles he faced during performances because of his condition. He would have stage fright and it will take a lot of hard work and extra time for him to practice his lines. As a child, Bloom also experienced being labelled with dyslexia, but he used that as a motivation to work harder and overcome it. He found acting as an outlet for his imaginations. Now if asked what he would tell his 7-year-old self, it would be “Hold on to your dreams and never ever think that you’re not good enough or that you’re stupid. Never let anyone tell you that you’re stupid or you’re not capable… We are equal, we deserve a shot.”
Now, Orlando Bloom speaks openly about his experiences and struggles with having dyslexia. He motivates children with dyslexia to take this obstacle as a chance to grow better and to win in life. Finally, he believes that finding the right way to educate children with dyslexia is important to help them develop their love for learning. “If education is a challenge for a child with dyslexia, you need to understand how to educate them so that it isn’t a challenge, so that it’s fun, because it’s not that they’re stupid, it’s not that they’re not capable, they just need to learn how to enjoy the process of learning.”
Bibliography
Bloom, O. (2014, March 10). Orlando Bloom and Dyslexia – His experience, thoughts & advice. (F. o. Ltd, Interviewer)
Bloom, O. (2019, January 5). Orlando Bloom – Made by Dyslexia Interview. (M. B. Dyslexia, Interviewer)
Griffiths, S. (2018, October 7). Orlando Bloom: dyslexics think like leaders. Retrieved from The Times: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/orlando-bloom-dyslexics-think-like-leaders-sjvjxv5qc
Koplewicz, H. (2010, June 9). Challenged and gifted: A lesson on dyslexia from Orlando Bloom. Retrieved from pbs.org: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/opinion/challenged-and-gifted-a-lesson-on-dyslexia-from-an-erstwhile-elf/1359/