Orlando Bloom: 'I love being a dad'

Orlando Bloom has praised his six-year-old son Flynn for opening his heart.

The 40-year-old actor gushed about the youngster, who he shares with ex-wife Miranda Kerr, and said Flynn has altered his way of thinking.

"I'm so in love with being a dad," he told Entertainment Tonight. "I'm a very lucky man. I have to say, (he opened) my heart in a way I never thought was possible. I just really thought I was never going to open my heart and he did it.

"It was amazing. Everything they say is true! Having a child changes everything.”

The British star made the comments at the Hollywood premiere of his latest film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, on Thursday (18May17).

And, when asked what his favorite part of parenting was, he said: "Being a kid again, (and) re-experiencing life on that level."

Orlando has returned to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise to reprise his role as Will Turner, alongside Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Keira Knightley and Javier Bardem.

He admitted he made the decision to come back to the pirate saga purely to please his son, after skipping Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in 2011.

"I have a kid and I know he loves pirates,” he smiled. “It’s such a phenomenon and it’s an amazing thing to be a part of. You see the kids responding to Johnny and to the movie and to all of us.”

"When I got a call to come back, I was like, ‘Yeah, of course’. This is a movie and a franchise that I'm so proud to be a part of. If nothing else, I do it for him (Flynn).”

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales hits cinemas from 23 May.