Is Orlando Bloom's The Cut movie based on a true story? Details explored

Starring Orlando Bloom, Caitríona Balfe, and John Turturro, The Cut was released in the United States on September 5, 2025, the same day it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival as a special presentation. Bloom stars as a former boxing champion who decides to come out of retirement to seek a championship title.

The film is not based on a true story; rather, the plot follows a retired boxing champion from Las Vegas who undergoes gruesome training and weight loss under a disputed and unethical trainer to win a championship. The film follows his journey through themes of obsession, his extreme physical and mental battle in his personal and professional life.

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The truth about The Cut: Orlando Bloom’s intense boxing transformation

A still from the film's trailer (Image via YouTube/Paramount Pictures)

The Cut is a psychological thriller that explores the dark and destructive aspects of an athlete's pursuit of victory. Directed by Sean Ellis and written by Justin Bull, the movie follows a retired boxer, known only as "Boxer" (played by Orlando Bloom), who was forced to end his career a decade ago after a devastating defeat.

His past tragedy and a strong desire for redemption force him to accept an alternative spot in a high-profile wrestling match in Las Vegas, even though he and his wife and coach, Caitlin (Caitríona Balfe), own a successful gym. The major obstacle is his weight, which is over 30 pounds more than the required 154-pound limit for his class.

With just six days to lose weight, he turns to Boz (John Turturro), a dishonest coach, who forces him to take drastic and illegal measures. The film focuses on the boxer's agonizing and horrific physical and emotional decline, over the actual boxing contest. The story portrays how far someone goes to prove themselves, and the conclusion that facing one's internal challenges is more important than winning.

A still from the film's trailer (Image via YouTube/Paramount Pictures)

Orlando Bloom experienced a drastic physical transformation, dropping almost thirty pounds in three months to play the part of a boxer brutally cutting weight. This technique was strictly overseen by Phillip Goglia, a dietician who checked his blood work once a week. Bloom has been candid about the toll that losing weight had on him, implying that it was definitely not something to try at home.

In an exclusive interview with Talksport published on September 2, 2025, Orlando Bloom stated:

"I worked with nutritionist [Philip Goglia] who worked with Christian Bale and I wouldn't recommend doing this at home but he was doing blood work. Just testing my blood and then he tiered me down from like three meals a day, to two, to finally one."

The actor went on a strict diet and spoke about his consistency with sticking to the same diet and training regimen over a long period of time. He added:

"I was training throughout that. So it was like an hour/an hour of boxing training every morning, treadmill for 45 minutes, weights, treadmill at the end of the day, and then just loads of little meals. What I actually ate was cucumber and tuna, because cucumber's a bit like a diuretic with the cucumber, but you have to have the protein intake. So it was a lot of tuna and cucumber."

The film was shot in reverse chronological order, allowing Bloom's real-life physical transformation to be captured authentically on screen. Orlando Bloom has since returned to a more sustainable health routine, but his experience highlights the intense and often unseen sacrifices actors make for their craft.

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The Cut was released on September 5, 2025, in the United States. Stay tuned for more updates.