Keira Knightley on Pirates of the Caribbean films
Keira Knightley received candid on the onerous time she confronted over her physique picture whereas and after starring within the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
In an interview with The Instances of London, the Oscar-nominated actress revealed that she has largely erased from her reminiscence the “public shaming” she endured throughout that interval.
Knightley was simply 17 when she starred as Elizabeth Swann in 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
The movie’s huge success led to 2 sequels, Useless Man’s Chest in 2006 and At World’s Finish in 2007.
Whereas the franchise was a serious field workplace hit, the celebrity additionally introduced intense media scrutiny. Knightley confronted harsh criticism from the press, together with hypothesis about her weight and unfounded accusations of getting an consuming dysfunction.
“In that classic trauma way, I don’t remember it,” Knightley informed The Instances.
“There’s been a complete delete, and then some things will come up and I’ll suddenly have a very bodily memory of it because, ultimately, it’s public shaming, isn’t it? It’s obviously part of my psyche, given how young I was when it happened. I’ve been made around it.”
Regardless of the challenges, Knightley mentioned she was “unbelievably lucky” to have a powerful assist system, together with her household, pals, and “lovely boyfriends,” which helped her address the bullying from the press.
Nevertheless, the scrutiny over her weight typically got here up throughout interviews, typically in surprising methods.
“I remember viscerally one of the Olsen twins had anorexia, and she went into a clinic,” Knightley mentioned.
“I remember being asked about it on a press tour, like it was a joke. She was meant to be shamed for seeking help for anorexia. I remember sitting there just being like, ‘Wow, this is wild.’ Can you imagine? That made me really emotional. That’s not even about me, it’s about her. I still can’t bear it.”
Whereas Knightley’s profession later included acclaimed roles in movies like Atonement and Delight and Prejudice, which earned her an Oscar nomination, she mirrored on the difficult impression of the Pirates franchise.
“It’s a funny thing when you have something that was making and breaking you at the same time,” Knightley mentioned.
“I was seen as shit because of them, and yet because they did so well I was given the opportunity to do the films that I ended up getting Oscar nominations for. They were the most successful films I’ll ever be a part of, and they were the reason that I was taken down publicly. So they’re a very confused place in my head.”