Pirates Of The Caribbean star Orlando Bloom says the look on his son's face when watching him in the film series is priceless
Make no mistake, British actor Orlando Bloom, who played a pirate in four installations of box-office hit Pirates Of The Caribbean, likes the role.
When asked what attracted him to it, he quips: "The rum."
On a serious note, he says he likes it for the priceless look on his six-year-old son's face.
"To be honest, what I really love, and the reason I was more than happy to come back (to the role), is to see the look on my son's face when he watches me play Will Turner. It's priceless. And I think what those movies have done to entertain families and kids, it's just great.
"He bugs me to watch them (with him)," adds the 40-year-old, in reference to the movies.
His son has also started watching The Lord Of The Rings fantasy trilogy (2001-2003), in which Bloom stars as the blond elf Legolas, but he wonders if this is a good thing.
"I think because of his age - you want to make sure he doesn't have nightmares," he says with a laugh.
The actor was in Singapore to attend German luxury brand Braun Buffel's 130th-anniversary celebration at National Gallery Singapore on Thursday and fielded media interviews at a hotel before the event. The actor is friends with one of the brand's owners.
He had his son, Flynn, with ex-wife and model Miranda Kerr, and says that being a father is one of the most meaningful things he has done so far.
Another reason he likes being a pirate could be because he enjoys period fantasy, a genre he would pick if given a chance at a television series.
"I like period stuff," he says simply. "And I like fantasy."
As a bright-eyed youth straight out of drama school, he rose to fame with his breakout role as Legolas in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, which was followed by his stint as pirate Turner in Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl in 2003.
He reprised the role in Pirates Of The Caribbean instalments Dead Man's Chest (2006), At World's End (2007) and, most recently, Dead Men Tell No Tales in May this year.
He has also taken on film and television roles such as in Netflix's comedy-drama Easy (2016), where he plays a married father exploring dating apps with his wife; and as drug- fuelled cyclist Juju Pepe in the HBO movie Tour De Pharmacy, which premiered last month.
Bloom seemed tired but was friendly and engaging during the interview. In fact, he was the first to ask a question, asking this reporter if she was born and raised in Singapore and if she liked it.
"This is an amazing place to grow up in, right?" he asks. "The safety... I mean I'm sure there are challenges in some ways, but it seems like a nice place, no?"
It is a sentiment echoed by Mrs Christiane Brunk, Braun Buffel's fourth-generation owner, who says that Singapore was chosen as the venue to celebrate the brand's anniversary as the company wanted to honour the work that has been done here.
The luxury brand has been distributed here since 1982 by retail group Lianbee-Jeco and is known for its range of leather goods. It has five standalone boutiques in Singapore.
Mrs Brunk, 53, says: "My dad said this is the Switzerland of Asia. To me, Singapore is the perfect place to support our global strategy - it is so fast-paced and multicultural."
The brand, she adds, aims to capture the millennial crowd by offering unique experiences, such as craft workshops and personalisation services, and by going omnichannel.
Last year, it launched its e-commerce site in Singapore, which Mrs Brunk says "is doing better than expected".
One of the challenges of selling online, she says, is trying to communicate the feel and smell of the brand's leather goods.
To combat that, good customer service is key. She adds: "You need to have a good return policy and good product pictures online."
