Why Orlando Bloom Never Took His Relationship With Keira Knightley To The Next Level

If you make it big in Hollywood, chances are you'll get to share the screen with some of the world's most gorgeous and glamorous people. Such has been the case for Orlando Bloom. Over the years, he's held down heartthrob roles in a number of blockbusters — most notably the "Pirates of the Carribean" franchise, where he plays the heroic Will Turner alongside Keira Knightley's Elizabeth Swann. Although Will is a humble blacksmith, and Elizabeth is the governor's daughter, the two fall in love without regard for the social taboo. Eventually, they marry and give birth to a son.

Bloom had such strong chemistry with Knightley onscreen that fans couldn't help but wonder whether there was a spark between the actors. The two never dated — Bloom is engaged to Katy Perry after splitting with Miranda Kerr, and Keira Knightley is happily married to musician James Righton — but that hasn't stopped people from being curious about what really went on behind the scenes all those years ago. Here's what we know about the relationship between the two stars.

In a 2019 interview with Howard Stern on SiriusXM's Howard 100, Orlando Bloom came clean about his history with Keira Knightley. It turns out that he did develop a crush on his costar over the course of the franchise — but he never did anything about it. (Incidentally, he had the same experience with Kirsten Dunst while shooting "Elizabethtown.") He was "too shy" to make a move, he confided to Stern. Stars — they're just like us.

Bloom's reticence isn't the only reason he held back. It turns out that he's always forbidden himself from dating his coworkers to maintain a sense of professionalism. "I don't s**t where I eat," he revealed — although he did add, "I'm not saying I haven't fallen in love." Kudos to him for being able to keep his cool on set, although he may have disappointed some "Pirates of the Caribbean" fans along the way.

Did Keira Knightley return Orlando Bloom's feelings on set? We may never know — although she did open up about working with him in a 2003 interview with E! following the "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" shoot. 

"He's a lovely guy, he's a complete sweetheart, and I did go around with a very smug grin on my face when I got to kiss him," she said. "It would have been even better had the crew decided not to bring their teenage daughters to set that day. I did think that I was going to get killed. The evil looks were just unbelievable... I'd firstly like to apologize to every teenage girl on the planet for kissing Orlando Bloom, and secondly say yes, he's a very good kisser."

Bloom, for his part, kept his words of praise short and simple at the time. "It was great to work with her. She's a young British girl and has a great British sense of humor," he noted. Consider the two actors (pirate) ships passing in the night.