Orlando Bloom Says His Body Went Through ‘Extreme Torture’ While Filming New Series (Exclusive)

Orlando Bloom is opening up about the intense and rewarding training he endured for his new series.

The award-winning actor, 47, opened up to PEOPLE about pushing himself to his own personal limit in his travel-adventure show, Orlando Bloom: To The Edge (now streaming on Peacock).

While he masters three extremely dangerous sports throughout the series — including wingsuiting, free diving and rock climbing — he recalls a particularly thrilling moment from the third episode when he finally reached the top of a towering rock formation in Moab, Utah, called Ancient Art.

“It still fills me with exhilaration,” Bloom tells PEOPLE of the breakthrough moment. “It felt like a lightning rod with a bolt going straight through me — so connected.”

In the episode, the Pirates of the Caribbean alum seeks guidance from climbing expert Maureen “Mo” Beck in order to reach his goal of standing at the pinnacle that’s the size of a “pizza box,” he recalls. 

During the series, the dad of two — he shares daughter Daisy, 3, with his fiancee Katy Perry and son Flynn, 13, with his ex-wife Miranda Kerr — opens up about having to push through his fear after experiencing a near-fatal fall in his twenties, after which he was told he may never walk again.  

“The sort of fear and terror of standing up on a pizza box with a 400-foot drop all around you and having put my body through this extreme torture to get there,” he says, “it was a combination of elements that was so real.”

Once he reaches the top, viewers see Bloom scream out in joy and use his Buddhist chants to appreciate the huge milestone.

“It helped me stay centered and focused,” says Bloom of his spiritual practice. “It was a full tears/terror/gratitude moment that I think I’ll be able to look back on.”

Throughout the three-part series, Bloom works with a number of experts like Beck to guide him through the physical, mental, and emotional challenges that accompany the nail-biting activities. 

He reflects on the important takeaways he learned by training alongside the pros who have made their extreme sport a lifestyle for themselves. 

“The education that was being given to me by these experts — like Luke Aikins in skydiving, Camila Jaber and Will Trubridge in the dive, and Mo Beck, who is this remarkable adaptive climber for the climb episode —  it definitely got me focused.”

He notes that by “putting myself in these extreme situations,” he was able to learn the “valuable lesson of becoming more capable, trusting the process and to really be present.”

Stream all three episodes of Orlando Bloom: To The Edge now on Peacock.