Orlando Bloom reveals tiny Lord of the Rings payday and got ‘nothing’ for $3bn trilogy

Orlando Bloom said that he “got nothing” for the Lord of the Rings franchise after revealing his meagre salary.

The British actor burst onto the scene aged just 24 after he was cast in Peter Jackson’s fantasy trilogy.

Bloom, now 46, starred as bow-wielding elf Legolas in the franchise’s first film, The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001 – joining the Middle-Earth taskforce to destroy the One Ring.

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The three films have won a combined 17 Oscars, and have reportedly made almost $3bn (£2.4bn) at the global box office.

But more than two decades after donning the elf ears, Bloom revealed that he only took home a sliver of that total, raking in $175,000 (£140,000).

After Bloom was signed up as a “nobody”, the star’s paycheque didn’t even get close to the millions.

The actor revealed on the Howard Stern show: “I got nothing, $175,000.”

And that wasn’t just for the first film, that was for all three leading up until 2003.

With an air of disbelief, the host said: “Is that it? $175,000? For the three [movies]?”

Despite the pauper’s pay packet, the star said they had a blast filming in New Zealand.

“It was awesome, there were dinners, we’d have occasional drinks on the weekend. It was such a magical time”, he explained.

His role as Legolas became a springboard for a career in Hollywood, helping him secure the role of Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Even though the actor didn’t take home the big bucks, he confessed it was well worth it and he’d even do the role for less.

Bloom said: “[It was] the greatest gift of my life, are you kidding me?

“You’d do it again for half the money.”

While the Lord of the Rings trilogy ended in 2003, the star got to pop on his blonde wig again for The Hobbit’s spin-off trilogy from 2012.

For a two-minute cameo in the first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Bloom netted a massive $1m, Marie Claire reported.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk