Born in Canterbury, Orlando moved to London at 16 to join the National Youth Theatre. After a brief appearance in Casualty, he made his big screen debut as a rent boy in Wilde in 1997. He has starred opposite Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean and will appear next year with Brad Pitt in Troy. But he is best known for his role as the elf Legolas in Lord of the Rings. Now 26, he is dating the actress Kate Bosworth and lives in London.

How do you feel about reaching the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy?

It's sad to be finished, but in terms of an experience, it couldn't have been better. My first big film and first real job - I couldn't have asked for more really.

Was the sudden fame overwhelming?

I can get a little frazzled with it all and sometimes it's overwhelming but no complaints. I was also really lucky - with Leggie, I had the blond wig so I could go anywhere and nobody would know me. It's only since Pirates of the Caribbean that there's been more of that.

Are you the new Johnny Depp?

No, just the same old me.

The new Brad Pitt?

The idea of it makes me nervous. I experienced what Brad has to go through in Malta, when we were shooting Troy and it's a completely different thing. We had a cast dinner and after we left the restaurant a few flash bulbs went off. But when Brad appeared the whole of Malta descended on him. I've never seen anything like it. People were rushing at him, trying to grab him. I was walking with him and I was like, "Are you cool with this?" And he goes: "Just keep walking. If we keep walking, we'll be alright." He had a guy watching our backs. If I can avoid that kind of thing, I will.

No mobs of teenage girls chasing you down the street then?

On the web, maybe, but it's not like that in my everyday life. I get a lot of fan mail. I haven't played an axe murderer yet, so I haven't attracted any of those letters - it's mostly just people wishing you luck. No panic on the streets of London.

Or at Tesco?

You can get cornered.

How do you stay grounded?

I've got great friends and family. It's hard to keep your head together but I just try to rationalise it all.

Do you worry about being typecast?

It still feels good to be cast, period. When I came out of drama school, just to work was the goal. To get a job. I was expecting to work on the stage as a theatre actor.

You once said you got into acting so you could kiss the girls...

I haven't even had any kissing scenes! One Disney kiss at the end of Pirates of the Caribbean - "Quick, before the kids get tired."

What were you like as a child?

I was a little bit crazy. Not crazy-crazy but I was always the first one to jump off the wall or dive into the lake, without really thinking about the consequences of my actions. I am also dyslexic so education was always a bit tricky. But I got all my exams and degrees. I just had to work harder to get them.

You have a taste for extreme sports - have you jumped out of any aeroplanes lately?

That's something I got into in New Zealand because it was readily available. You could drive half an hour and throw yourself out of an aeroplane. I don't wander around London thinking, "I wonder if there's a building I can chuck myself off?"

How do you handle the tabloids?

I catch bullets in terms of people taking photographs of friends and family. But I don't talk about it so that I don't add to it. I've got a lot of love in my life and I'm happy.

And when you go out?

I'm not a big partyer any more. Thankfully I got a lot of that out of my system when I was younger. I moved to London when I was 16 and was let loose. Now I feel like I know what partying has to offer and it's not something I need to do anymore.

Are you image conscious?

Not too conscious. My sister used to dress me as a kid because I wasn't very cool. She'd go to Oxfam and come back with a shirt or a suede jacket. She had great style.

Do you ever worry that it's all going to go away as suddenly as it came?

I think if I make the right choices, things will go in the right direction. I haven't sold out yet. I don't feel like I've done anything too cheesy and I'm not in a hurry to make millions and millions of dollars. I got into this because I wanted to be an actor, not because I wanted to be famous or a celebrity. I'm still trying to keep it about the work because that's what I enjoy.

'Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' is in cinemas now