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Orlando Bloom at the premiere of "Haven" held at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood, Calif. on September 12, 2006. | In the new Yari Film Group release Haven, two shady businessmen flee to the Caymans to avoid federal prosecution, but their escape ignites a chain reaction that leads a British native to commit a crime that has enormous implications. Written and directed by native Caymanian Frank E. Flowers, and filmed entirely in the 100-square mile West Indies paradise, Haven is an edgy, suspenseful, gripping ensemble film in which unconnected lives intersect and ignite a violent chain of events that turns tranquility into chaos.
When Orlando Bloom, the star of such successful films as The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean, read the script, he was so taken by it that he signed on to produce it, before he ever agreed to act in it. Having originally been offered the role of Fritz, a native Caymanian bad boy, Bloom says he was far more interested in the character of Shy, who at the time was written as a young Caymanian kid about 15 years old. Initially reluctant for the film’s 24-year-old writer-director to change the integrity of the script, Bloom was impressed after reading through the revision.
“I got involved really early with Frankie,” the 29-year-old Brit tells MediaBlvd Magazine. “I saw his short, which was called Swallow, and then he brought Haven to me. After I read it, I said to him, ‘The character I’m most responding to is Shy, but obviously, it’s not written for a guy like me, so I’ll see you later.’ And, he said, ‘Look, just give me 24 hours and I’ll tweak it and see what happens.’ He came back with the character of Shy that I play in the movie, and it was done with such integrity.”
{quote_top}“It didn’t feel like a star vehicle movie. It felt like it forwarded the movie. As heartbreaking as it is, it gives it a real sense of integrity. I was like, ‘If this kid can do that in 24 hours, then I’m in.’ I’ve been desperate to be a part of an independent movie, and the experience of making this film was truly remarkable. It was everything that I hoped it would be. It was a real collaboration. We were all producers. We were all in it together. We were carrying lights across the street to make sure we got the shot before the sun went down. We worked through lunches. We were a family with a like goal, which was to make a movie that I feel is a really honest depiction of life in the Cayman Islands. It tackles the universal issue of youth culture and teenagers, and growing up in today’s society, but it’s a universal message. It’s a very personal story for Frankie.”
 Having shot the film in 29 days, it is evident that Flowers knows his way around the islands and has a great awareness of the rich texture of its culture. At the same time, the issues that are dealt with in the film are universal.
“We all grow up in school with peer pressure and the idea that you want to prove yourself to your peers,” says Bloom. “The fact is that Shy and Andrea (played by Zoe Saldana) are so in love, and it is a pure thing, but Shy is from the wrong side of the tracks, relative to Andrea’s family. Her father is a Caymanian man who has fought for, and earned, his right to his piece of land on that island, and that was a hard struggle. You understand that this is his treasured daughter that was going to be married into more money.”
Bloom admits that he was able to relate to a character like Shy because he, himself, has been in situations where he has felt peer pressure. “Not in the same way as Shy, but in other ways. I grew up, like any other kid, trying to find my place in the world and wanting to make a mark, and have been confronted by other kids and their jealousies. Each kid has an area of excellence and, sometimes, people take a stab at that because of envy, greed or bitterness.”
Even though, as a highly successful actor, Bloom is constantly in the public eye, he also knows what it’s like to be shy. “I think I’ve got a good front, but I’m incredibly shy and nervous about some public environments where I may find myself. I remember doing a play once and drying up on stage. I was mortified. I’m always so prepared now, in case I dry at any moment.”
{quote_middle}Filming intimate scenes is always awkward, no matter how many times an actor does it. But, knowing your scene partner does make things a little easier. “Zoe and I worked on Pirates, which was nice because there is a really personal scene that we share in this movie. This film is about two kids falling in love, and him taking the first night of her womanhood, as it were. It’s a really pure moment. And, the fact that Zoe and I have known each other for awhile made it easier.”
 Most Americans only see the beauty of the Caribbean Islands. But, like anywhere, there is an underbelly that exists. “Some people have said that the film is a bit too hard core and raw for teenage audiences, but it deals with the issues of teenage life and of growing up in this culture. When you go on holiday to the Caribbean, you see one side of the island. You’re there to relax by the pool and get your drinks served. You go to the beach or to the bar. You don’t really understand what the underbelly of that island is like. In this movie, you get to see that. The Cayman Islands is a relatively peaceful, safe environment, but it’s also real life.”
Seemingly unable to get himself out of the Caribbean, Bloom is working on the third Pirates of the Caribbean film, At Worlds End, until November. Now that Haven is finally reaching theaters, Bloom is hoping he will have more opportunities to bounce between big-budget studio films and smaller indies.
“I’m looking forward to doing many more projects like this. These are the sorts of films that I love to go see at the movies. I like the surprise aspect of going to see a movie like this because you never know what you’re going to get. And, I love blockbusters as well.” |
