Finding Faith, Facing Fame
Acclaimed actor and longtime Soka Gakkai member Orlando Bloom is best known for his roles in the box-office hits The Lord of the Rings and the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and has served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, advocating for the rights and well-being of children around the world, since 2009. In September 2024, he appeared on an episode of the Buddhability podcast—a weekly show produced by SGI-USA—where he spoke about his youth and how he began practicing Nichiren Buddhism, as well as his encounter with President Daisaku Ikeda. The following are some highlights from that interview.
Discovering Buddhism at 16
How did you encounter Nichiren Buddhism, and what made you start chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?
I did all the things that people would do to embark on a career in acting. Still, I really wanted some kind of philosophical roadmap.
I wanted to be an actor and left home at age 16. I was studying at drama school in London in the UK, and for my sculpture exam, I needed to study painting and drawing. The artist who taught me to paint and draw was a Soka Gakkai member. I used to travel from London down to Folkestone in Kent to meet with him. I would hear him in the other room chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. One day, I went in there and asked him what he was doing, and he replied, “Well, I am chanting that you’re going do really well in your exams. You’re going to have a really successful life.” I asked, “Well, will it help?” and he said that it would. So, I just started chanting with him to his Gohonzon.
He explained to me that the Gohonzon is the object of devotion in Nichiren Buddhism, a scroll representing the limitless potential of our inner lives. After that, he would give me pieces of encouragement, quotes from President Daisaku Ikeda’s writings. It was all logical and practical and, in a way, very accessible.
At that time, I did all the things that people would do to embark on a career in acting. Still, I really wanted some kind of philosophical roadmap.
Actually, what really convinced me about this Buddhism is that, in a way, I liked the idea that it was my responsibility to be the best I could be and that I wasn’t asking somebody to help me be better.
When we chant to the Gohonzon, we are working on our human revolution (inner transformation)—polishing the “mirror” of our life or evolving our minds and way of thinking. And at 16, I don’t think I even considered some of the things President Ikeda talked about—like integrity, wisdom, courage or compassion. It was just very apparent to me, almost immediately, that this was the roadmap that felt right.
A Serious Accident
When you were 21, you broke your back when trying to reach a roof terrace of a friend’s house and fell three floors. It must have been a very serious injury.
Ever since my childhood, I’ve always been adventurous and loved to be outdoors. I was a bit of a risk taker. Quite accident prone, I would say. When I was young, I was in and out of hospital a few times.
It was when I broke my back that everything sort of shifted because it was quite a close call, and that was a wake-up call.
From a Buddhist perspective, even the most painful or seemingly insurmountable challenges (‘poison’) can become fuel for growth (‘medicine’).
At first, they said that I might not be able to walk again, but I had quite a miraculous recovery. After about two weeks and following surgery, I walked out of hospital on crutches having been told I’d be in hospital for six months. Ever since then, I have been taking care of myself physically in order to support my back and my health and wellness in ways that maybe I wouldn’t have. So, I try to look at the accident as a bonus. And I think that at such a young age, those experiences enabled me to think about my life.
Soka Gakkai members often talk about changing poison into medicine. From a Buddhist perspective, even the most painful or seemingly insurmountable challenges (“poison”) can become fuel for growth (“medicine”).
A Career-Defining Role
You were in drama school when you injured your back, and then, pretty shortly afterwards, you landed a huge career-launching role as the character Legolas in The Lord of the Rings film series—a defining moment.
Yes, it was wild. It was a wild “pinch me” moment. It was more than “pinch me”—it was like “Bash me in the head! Wait, what’s going on?”
But also, I was auditioning for parts, performing and dealing with all of the anxieties of stage fright and questions like “Am I good enough? Am I going to forget my lines?” But I chanted. Soka Gakkai members often talk about fulfilling our mission for kosen-rufu, which is a vision of social peace brought about by the widespread acceptance of core Buddhist values such as respect for the dignity of human life. It’s about creating value where we are.
I was absolutely chanting to fulfill my mission. There’s no shadow of a doubt in my mind that it enabled me to navigate those times in my life.
But later, during the “eye of the storm” of my career—in my mid- to late 20s into my early 30s—there was so much to knock me off center, like feeling judged or ridiculed. But I just chanted through all of that. My Buddhist practice was an anchor and felt very grounding.
In those days, I studied Nichiren’s writing titled “The Eight Winds” which states: “Worthy persons deserve to be called so because they are not carried away by the eight winds: prosperity, decline, disgrace, honor, praise, censure, suffering, and pleasure.” It made me think: “OK, I want to be a wise man and not be just tossed around by other people’s opinions of me.” I think that I was fortunate I could keep coming back to these ideas and these principles. And in a weird way, the ongoing opportunity for my growth is not to get swayed by prosperity and decline or praise and censure, pleasure and suffering and all of these—they are the things that we can easily get distracted by.
I would say that everything I did had some aspect of my Buddhist practice and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo behind it. For example, from presenting at an award ceremony or going to an audition or meeting with a director—there was chanting that was backing up all of that.
The Mentor-Disciple Relationship
In 2006, you had a meeting with President Ikeda in Japan.
Yes, I had the opportunity to meet with my mentor President Ikeda at a Soka Gakkai center in Nagano Prefecture. When I got off the bus, he was there to greet me, holding up his arms, as if forming a V for victory. It was like a lightning bolt hit my brain. I felt I’d know him forever. I was so excited that I ran over to him and gave him a massive hug.
We were in this golf cart, and he drove me around the center grounds. It felt like we were flying through the paths. I was so moved by the sincerity, joy, consideration and care I was shown [during my time with President Ikeda]. The first thing he mentioned was my mother, which was so moving. Of course, she loves me impossibly, but the process of my upbringing and aspects of it were super conflicting and challenging in some ways. As we say, they were opportunities for me to grow and develop. He just nailed pretty much everything. He expressed those thoughts around my mother, which was so moving. And then, I read a poem that I had written him on the bus in which I expressed my commitment to working for the betterment of the world based on the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. He replied:
“We are comrades, eternal friends in faith. What is crucial is to live always true to yourself. That’s exactly how you have been leading your life. If you care only about your career as an actor, not heeding anything else, it’s anything but great. On the contrary, you are sincerely following the Buddhist way of life, pursuing the eternal philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism. Yours is the most valuable way of life. How noble, how admirable!”
I also had an opportunity to chant together with President Ikeda. He had this amazing rich voice. He then gave me an award to give to my mother and an award for [my contribution to the] Arts. In that moment, I realized it wasn’t really about me personally, that I was special—it could have been anyone else. He was talking to me as one disciple and that disciple could have been anyone else. It was about a mentor talking to a disciple—to all the members. What struck me most when I attended meetings with President Ikeda was the importance [he placed on] the members—that they understood their value.
Advice to Those Curious About Buddhism
What would you say to folks who may be curious about Buddhism?
The thing that’s amazing about this practice is that we have the potential to be Buddhas, and we have Buddhahood inside of us. We’re the ones who are responsible for our lives. This practice is a vehicle for us—an opportunity. We can use this amazing tool, even when we’re in the life state of hell and are suffering, to transform our lives and lift ourselves out of that.
We’re not going to avoid making mistakes. If I think, “Because I’m Buddhist, I’m not making mistakes,” then I’m wrong. However, with this Buddhist practice, we gain the wisdom to navigate whatever obstacles arise from our mistakes. If you really put this practice through its paces and keep doing that, then hopefully, that will be the winning ticket.
In the troubled times we are living in, this Buddhist practice gives us a tool, a philosophy and a discipline that I think we need more than ever.
