Orlando Bloom’s Hilarious Performance in This 94% Rotten Tomatoes Prime Video Film Proves He Needs To Do More Comedies

Orlando Bloom’s breakout roles came with the Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lord of the Rings franchises, which were so popular that he was instantly recognized for his now-iconic roles. The issue with this is that Bloom has now become so synonymous with the characters of Will Turner and Legolas that it has been difficult for him to show versatility as an actor. Although he spent several years on stage, Bloom appears alongside Bryce Dallas Howard and Nick Mohammed in the action-comedy Deep Cover. Beyond being the best film he’s been a part of in quite some time, Deep Cover represents the type of comedic role that Bloom should play more often.

Bloom stars in Deep Cover as the aspiring actor Marlon Swift, who has struggled to find work, despite his intense dedication to the roles he auditions for. Bloom, the improv teacher Kat (Hoard), and the awkward IT worker Hugh (Mohammed) are recruited by Detective Sergeant Graham Billings (Sean Bean) of the Metropolitan Police, who believes they could help law enforcement bust a group of counterfeiters. Although the trio are sent to expose a small-time sting, their effectiveness ends up being consequential, as they are soon exposed to a more dangerous squad of criminals. Deep Cover benefits from its creative premise, but Bloom’s self-satirical, goofy performance is one of the film’s highlights.

Orlando Bloom Deserves More Credit for His Comedy Work

While Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lord of the Rings are regarded as being more “serious” franchises, that doesn’t mean that Bloom was not allowed to add some humor to his performances. In The Lord of the Rings, the banter between Legolas and Gimli (John Rhys Davies) added a comedic backdrop to some of the more intense action sequences, particularly during the epic battle for Gondor in Return of the King. While Johnny Depp’s performance in the Pirates of the Caribbean films is the more eccentric role, Bloom had the difficult task of playing the “straight man,” which involved a more subtle type of comedy. Deep Cover is more comedic in tone, which allows Bloom’s work to feel more naturalistic. Even though Marlon is a character who says a lot of inadvertently humorous things, he does not consider himself to be a source of comedic relief.

Deep Cover isn’t the first comedy that Bloom has appeared in, as he did do some strong work in films that unfortunately were successful. Elizabethtown is broadly considered to be one of the worst Cameron Crowe films, but Bloom nails the role of a pretentious shoe designer who has to find his roots. Had the film itself been as self-aware as Bloom’s performance, Elizabethtown may have been met with the same generous reviews that other Crowe films, such as Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire, received. Bloom also played one of his most eccentric roles as the comically evil Lord Buckingham in Paul W.S. Anderson’s modern revamp of The Three Musketeers. The film feels more like a farce than a legitimate action film, and to Bloom’s credit, he seems to be the only actor who knows what the tone actually should have been.

Bloom’s talents as a comedic actor are underrated because he is a generous co-star who does not attempt to steal the spotlight within an ensemble. While there are many comedic actors, such as Jim Carrey or Adam Sandler, who tend to steal the energy from a room with their larger-than-life performances, Bloom showed in Deep Cover that he is a team player, as his chemistry with Howard and Mohammed is excellent. It becomes very funny in Deep Cover to see this trio of struggling actors try to deal with the dangerous world of crime that they’ve entered, as they each have completely different ideas about how to solve the problem.

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Orlando Bloom Pokes Fun at Method Actors in ‘Deep Cover’

Bloom’s character in Deep Cover is a parody of “method actors,” as it is no coincidence that he shares a first name with Marlon Brando. While Bloom himself does not have a history of method acting, he is often associated with very serious, dour dramatic roles in epics like Kingdom of Heaven and Troy. Deep Cover allows Bloom to poke fun at this persona by showing how different Marlon is when he is actually put in a dangerous situation. Despite the efforts he has taken to immerse himself in his roles, Marlon is still a normal guy who is in way over his head.

Taking on more comedic roles would be in Bloom’s best interest, as Deep Cover showed the untapped potential he has as a physical comedian. Given that he has already starred in some of the most successful blockbusters of all time, it makes sense that he would want to try something new. Recently, there have been many actors best known for comedy, such as Jonah Hill and Steve Carell, who have begun to take on more dramas. The reverse rarely happens, so Bloom has a real opportunity to be a trailblazer.