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I’m still sad that Leslie Jones has left Saturday Night Live after 5 seasons, though I’m excited to see what she’ll do next after her Netflix special and the Coming to America sequel. In other SNL-related news, Orlando Bloom told People that he’d turned down an invitation to host the NBC show a decade ago because he has dyslexia:
In an interview on The Howard Stern Show last week, the Carnival Row actor, 42, explained that he opted not to host the NBC comedy sketch series because he felt “really insecure at the time,” citing his dyslexia and the pressure of the international fame he earned from the Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lord of the Rings films.
“I was just like, partly my dyslexia, partly like that window of time where I couldn’t even … think straight and see the wood through the trees,” he explained to host Howard Stern. “I would love to [host] Saturday Night Live now.”
Howard pointed out to Orlando that the cast reads off cue cards, and Orlando had said that “would’ve been difficult.” He also said that the invitation came at a time when he “didn’t have perspective.” He used an extended metaphor comparing acting to being in a burning car. I only partially followed it, but he seemed to be saying that as an actor, he got swept up in his work, which everyone loved, and that was great. Then he realized that he was kind of stymied by both the fame and the expectations that everyone suddenly had for him (and that he probably had for himself) and he became overwhelmed and wasn’t entirely sure how to cope. (He was trapped in the burning car and not sure how to get out.) He realized later that if he prepares to be in the burning car, and also has a support system in place, that the experience is easier to deal with. It’s understandable to me that Orlando was trying to adjust to being in two blockbuster franchises a decade ago, so when Lorne Michaels asked him to host and act live on a showusing cue cards, he said, “Heck, no.”
It’s great to hear that Orlando has figured out ways to cope with his fame and the pressures of acting, and so would consider appearing on SNL if asked. Hosting that show takes a certain combination of skills that not everybody has, even if they are seasoned film and TV actors. I know there have been episodes that I gave up on because the host was clearly uncomfortable with the premise of performing live and was so obviously reading the cue cards that it was painful to watch. I have horrible stage fright, and so don’t blame them for their discomfort. I just don’t want to watch it, because it makes me uncomfortable. Hopefully, Lorne is reading and invites Orlando to host during Season 45. Katy Perry has been on SNL twice: once as a host, and once as a musical guest, but I bet she’d perform again if Orlando hosted.
Photos credit: Avalon.red, Getty and via Instagram
Didn’t know he had dyslexia..
But well done is finding out the best way for him and succeed in his profession.
>>> “think straight and see the wood through the trees”.
Did he mean *can’t see the forest for the trees??* I don’t understand much of what this guy is saying. Pretty odd fellow if you ask me.
He strikes me as being a weirdish person. However if he says he’s dyslexic, perhaps showing how he said an idiomatic expression improperly might not be the way to demonstrate it 😉
I found it touching to know that he was freaked out by fame. I’m getting more and more tired of people with very little talent being only good at faking it for the world with PR romances. The older I get, the more it seems to me as a strange form of exhibitionism or entitlement, this ‘celebrity’ thing.
Good point. I did not mean to poke at a learning disability and I’m sorry. I thought dyslexia was strictly a visual problem and he was just talking over his head as many celebrities do.
Hi @LadyT I know you didn’t. People don’t know the really strange ways of thinking of dyslexic people (It’s not just switching syllables and sometimes it’s not even that). I’m surrounded by two very intelligent dyslexics who cannot ‘see the wood from the trees’. And I have two dyslexic colleagues with brilliant PhD’s and a great research mind. It’s really strange how it affects the way you deal with others, you assess information and communicate with the world. And people don’t talk enough about it.
My hubby is dyslexic and he butchers common phrases like this all the time. I think it’s cute. He is so mechanically inclined, that he can fix or build almost anything, but it amazes me how much harder he has to work at things like composing an email….stuff I take for granted.
He’s also British and here we usually say ‘I can’t see the wood for the trees’.
I’m pretty sure in British English it’s much more common to use “wood” as a synonym for “forest” than it is in American English. Think of the Hundred Acre Wood in Winnie-the-Pooh.
I was totally in love with him in college. I had a poster of him in my freshman dorm room. I know, I know.. embarassing. Then he stopped being hot and doing anything. But I’m here to say, in the header pic in the teal suit, he is looking super fine again! Hoping for the hr best for him, and I want to see Carnival Row!
The picture of him coming out of the pool… *fans self*
I’ve been loving Carnival Row. I mean, it’s not perfect but overall it’s a lot of fun.
I’m not sure why I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for him and this doesn’t dispel that. My heart kinda went out to him thinking about him being to scared to do SNL. Dyslexia is one of those “invisible disabilities,” where most people have no idea how even the simplest things can be for the person affected.
When I was in college a friend opened up to me about how she keeps up with classes with her dyslexia. We were both working on our history degrees so it involved a LOT of reading and writing.
She did probably three times as much work as I did, to get the same result. I appreciated her opening up to me because I had no idea what it’s like to study and accomplish written tasks with dyslexia, and I was left with a deep respect for dyslexic people and how hard they work to do things that are easy to neuro-typical people. Orlando must work very hard also, in his career. Props, people!!!
Just reminds you, you never know what someone is working through each day.
That is so great that your friend opened up to you…she must have known you’d be understanding. That warms my heart. My son is on the autism spectrum and away at college and he doesn’t disclose his ASD with anyone except his counselor and peers in the disability office. He’s come close to mentioning it to other friends/teammates but always chickens out. He’s so afraid of harsh judgement but I tend to think they would be sympathetic. As it is, I think it can be obvious that things are generally harder for him, but I have a feeling they really have no idea how much harder he has to work at literally everything.
It’s a tough one isn’t it? We, as adults, have more settled friendships (and yet still have some surprises sometimes) whereas our kids in high school are still learning and can be close to people who won’t be good friends in the long run. So I understand your son. My daughter has a hearing impaired friend and she was telling me the other day how teachers were awful to her (they study contemporary dance) and ignored the small things she asked them to do in order for her to understand them better.
However, it is always better to tell… Your son’s friends have surely picked up on some traits that they could understand and respect better if he told them. Also, I’m sure he probably is weary of them finding him in the disability office right? He would probably feel relieved if he told them. Could this work as an argument for him?
I absolutely agree, Snowslow, that he should tell people. He’s not worried about being found in the disability office because he has disclosed to his coach and some people on his athletic team that he has a disability and needs accommodations like extra time on tests. He sometimes has to miss practice to take a test. But he’s just so scared of actually saying to neurotypical people that he’s on the spectrum, especially because he can often fake being typical pretty well. I really think it would be a relief, too. Maybe in time, and hopefully before people get fed up with him for whatever quirk might annoy them.
Man @Esmom, he must be so torn. Also because being on the spectrum has him not reading clearly the people’s emotions I suppose? He may wonder what is neurotypical friends think of his ‘coming out’ and of his ‘disability’. But I do hope he finds some balance one day! Sending good vibes.
I couldn’t care less whom he or Cara Delevigne is dating, but….they were fantastic in Carnival Row! I just hope season 2 has more episodes.
Good to hear that. I’m going to give Carnival Row a look this week. Thanks for the insight.
My very dyslexic sister in law told my brother shortly after their wedding “What’s yours is mine” when she meant to say “What’s mine is yours” it’s pretty common for dyslexic folks to misspeak or conflate idioms etc
My 12 year old is dyslexic. School is hell for him. Only in last 6 months has he found a teacher who truly believes in him. The school we pulled him from last year basically told his new teacher he is backward. Dyslexic comes with so much anxiety as well. Insane how many people still don’t believe it is a thing. Luckily he is a talented footballer so we encourage that 100%. He may struggle to write a paragraph, but he has to be the most intelligent thinker. The way he looks at life is so interesting. I always find Orlando has a great perspective about dyslexic and enjoy his insight. Also I am from NZ and we say ‘wood through the trees’ also 🙂