Orlando Bloom did "refresher" training ahead of reprising his 'Lord of the Rings' role for 'The Hobbit'.
Orland Bloom has revealed he under went extensive training in outdoor pursuits in order to reprise his role as Legolas in 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'.
The 36-year-old actor has returned to the three-part prequel as elf prince Legolas and eased his way back into the character before filming began by practising some of the skills he needed, such as riding and hunting.
He explained: "I went back and did some training with the bow and arrow, as well as movement training and horse riding.
"I did all the things that I did the first time around. I spent four or five weeks doing that, maybe even six weeks, which was great because it was a refresher and a reminder of what we had done. It was a great way into the character. That I was still having fun with a bow and arrow was good."
Because Legolas doesn't appear in the original 'Hobbit' book, Orlando was unsure about returning to the series, but he is delighted with the story created by Sir Peter Jackson.
He added: "Initially, my thought was, how would Legolas feature because of course he's not part of the book so it was, 'How is that going to work?' But Peter had a very clear vision for the world and how the story would intertwine with Thranduil, my father, so it was exciting.
"I wasn't entirely sure how the character was going to play out. But ultimately, I'm really happy with what we did and what the story is."
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