Orlando Bloom brings "Romeo" to Broadway

(CBS News) Orlando Bloom's fans have seen him in a number of blockbuster movies, like "Pirates of the Caribbean." Now they can see Bloom on Broadway. For more about the whys and wherefores, Rita Braver tracked him down for some Questions and Answers:

We've seen him as a monster-slaying elf in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. He played a master swordsman in three "Pirates of the Caribbean" films.

And now at age 36, Orlando Bloom is making his Broadway debut, taking on his first Shakespearean role, in "Romeo and Juliet."

"Yes, my mum did liken it to me climbing Everest for my first climb out of the gate," Bloom laughed.

This version of the play features Condola Rashad as Juliet to Bloom's Romeo -- and it's set in the present.

Bloom even does a monologue astride his motorcycle:

"This love that thou hast shown
Doth add more grief to too much of mine own.
Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs;
Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes;
Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears.
What is it else? A madness most discreet,
A choking gall, and a preserving sweet."

But Shakespeare's language and Romeo's character have NOT been altered.

"I mean, Romeo rails, man. He riots, he angry, he's a lover, he's a fighter," said Bloom. "So I thought I'd jump straight into that. Sink or swim, you know? Give it a good go."

Bloom's own life has taken some stage-worthy turns. He was born and raised in Canterbury, England, the son of Sonia Copeland, who ran a language academy, and her husband, South African expatriate writer Harry Bloom; he died when Orlando was four.

"You grew up, and then when you were a young teenager, your mom said, 'I want you to know the truth,'" said Braver. "It does sound like it's right out of Shakespeare, doesn't it?"

"It does, it does," Bloom said. "And at the time it was quite a surprise."

A real shocker! Bloom learned that his biological father was actually a longtime family friend.

"Colin Stone, who I'm very, very close to, has always been a part of my life," said Bloom. "I consider myself to have two fathers, you know?"

Another issue that Bloom has had to confront is his dyslexia.

"I always felt like I probably had to work twice as hard as everyone else to get about the same distance as a kid at school," he told Braver. "But I think that that gave me character, and taught me a lot about hard work and what it took to get somewhere."

At 16 Bloom moved to London to study acting, and got a few small television and film roles, including playing a male prostitute in a film about Oscar Wilde.

He went on to London's prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama. In 1999, just two days before graduation, Bloom got a call actors may wait a lifetime for: director Peter Jackson had cast him in the "Lord of the Rings" films.

"Happy graduation, indeed!" said Bloom. "It was ridiculous. I remember the first time I got the call. I was standing in my flat in London, and I just, for about a week, I called my agent three or four times a day to say, 'Is it real? Really? They haven't changed their mind? Have they changed their mind yet?'"

No, they hadn't. And the "Lord of the Rings" movies went on to be among the highest-grossing films of all time. Bloom played the elf Legolas, a skilled archer.

"What about that character, is he dear to you still?" asked Braver.

"Oh, absolutely," he replied. "It was a remarkable experience. Pete really gave me my start in life. So when he called to say, you know, we're thinking we could probably squeeze Leggy into 'The Hobbit,' I was like, 'Tell me when you want me there.'"

That film, a prequel to the earlier movies, opens next month.

Bloom has made more than a dozen other movies, but was also part of another blockbuster franchise -- playing the dashing Will Turner in the first three "Pirates of the Caribbean" films alongside Johnny Depp.

"When Johnny rocked up on set and just did Jack Sparrow, it was like, 'Okay, well, I know what I gotta do -- I'll be the straight guy.'"

He's become an international star -- a heartthrob mobbed by screaming fans at "Romeo and Juliet." But his star-power has also attracted the paparazzi, who went into a frenzy when Bloom recently announced his split from his wife of three years, Australian model Miranda Kerr, with whom he has a child.

"It's been very challenging in many ways," Bloom said. "You know, I love Miranda, and she loves me. We both adore and love our son. We both recognize and realize that we're going to be in each other's lives for the rest of our lives, raising our son."

So now, for Orlando Bloom the play's the thing.

"Even after all the other things you've done in film and everything else, is it still a kick to see your name up on Broadway?" asked Braver.

"Are you kidding me? Of course! It's the first time I've seen my name up in lights on Broadway, and absolutely it's a real honor. It's the first, and it can only be once. There can only be one first, right?"

At 36, he says this is all part of building a body of work that he can be proud of.

"Do you ever look around at your life and say, 'I can't believe I'm having this life'?" asked Braver.

"Yeah, always. I am constantly amazed, and befuddled sometimes by it. But I have nothing but gratitude for the opportunities, really."

For more info:

• "Romeo and Juliet" (Official site)
• "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" (Official site; Opens in theaters December 13)
• "The Lord of the Rings" (Official site)
• "Pirates of the Caribbean" (Official site)
• Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London

To view a preview of "Romeo and Juliet," click on the video player below.

To watch a trailer for "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," click on the video player below.