Pirates of The Caribbean Left Keira Knightley In Many Years of Therapy
The actress was not ready for the fame that Pirates of the Caribbean would bring to her.
Keira Knightley has dreamed of a career in the movies since she was a child, but little did she know the serious tests she would have to endure to become a sought-after actress.
After the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, viewers all over the world suddenly began to discuss her person, and the paparazzi dreamed of getting a provocative picture of the star.
Knightley admitted that this fame and everything that came with it was hard for her. She also said that it was difficult for her to put up with the attitude that her character, Elizabeth, was an object of desire.
At the time of the filming of the first movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl, Knightley was only 17 years old, and turned 18 the year the movie was released. As the actress admitted, she felt trapped by the attention the role brought her:
“[Elizabeth Swann] was the object of everybody’s lust. […] I felt very constrained. I felt very stuck. […] It very much felt like I was caged in a thing I didn’t understand.”
The actress's popularity played a trick on her – at the age of 22, she was treated for neurosis and post-traumatic stress disorder. Keira was under 24-hour pressure from the public and the paparazzi, who followed her every move.
Knightley admitted that the harassment was unbearable, with about 20 people constantly following her and making unflattering remarks. Keira pointed out that the one-year break from work was only due to her nervous breakdown:
“I’m unbelievably lucky now, and my career is in a place where I really enjoy it, and I have a level of fame that’s much less intense. […] But at the time, it was not so great, and took many years of therapy to figure it out.”
The actress has no plans to return to her iconic role of Elizabeth Swann, as she believes her character got the perfect ending.
The roles she chose after Pirates of the Caribbean marked her desire to get rid of the image that had been following her. In particular, in 2007, a film adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was released, in which Knightley played the smart and acerbic Elizabeth Bennet.
In March 2023, the crime series Boston Strangler starring Keira Knightley premiered. Her character, Loretta McLaughlin, is the first journalist to notice a connection between the murders of a serial killer.
Source: Variety