Orlando Bloom Recalls Terrifying Experience Which Nearly Left Him Paralyzed

Orlando Bloom knows the morbid intensity of a near-death experience. The actor recently opened up about a time in his early adulthood when a moment of impulsivity almost led him to become paralyzed. Bloom also reflected on his state of mind at the time, grappling with the possibility.

Orlando Bloom recounts his life and death experience

Orlando Bloom recently made an appearance on Trevor Noah's podcast, What Now? The actor explained the circumstances leading up to what could have very well been a near-death experience. Back in 1998, Bloom was at a friend's Notting Hill residence where the group found themselves unable to access the terrace door. Bloom recalled, "I looked out the window...and I'm like, 'I could just jump that. That's no problem,' and instead I saw this piece of metal running down the wall, which was not a drain pipe you could hold on to. It was a piece of metal, like coming out of the wall. I was like, 'Well, if I just pinch it like this I'll grab a hold of it like this.' " 

Attributing his decision to "ADD impulsiveness", the actor recalls making the jump only to miss his grip on the metal and landing on a first-floor apartment's balcony between railings with spikes and an old washing machine. An ambulance was called promptly but the nearest hospital was not in a position to take in patients. The paramedics, as quoted by Bloom, said, " 'We have a 20-year-old kid who may never walk again unless you take him in."

Orlando Bloom recalls grappling with the possibility of never walking again

Bloom went onto recall how he spent the next four days in the hospital confronting the very real possibility of never being able to walk again, spending his life in a wheelchair. It was this experience that taught him that nobody is invincible. 

He said, "Until then, I didn't have a healthy appreciation for life and death - that we're not invincible. And for four days, I faced the idea of living in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. I went to some dark places in my mind. I realized, I'm either going to walk again or I'm not." The actor has just seen through the release of his series, Orlando Bloom: To The Edge, which can be streamed on Peacock.