At the age of 17, Keira Knightley shot the first part of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, which made her a worldwide star. After that, a period of hard work began: she had to free themselves from their bad experiences during the Pirates of the Caribbean filming.
In Pirates of the Caribbean, the young Keira Knightley was the object of desire
A year before Pirates of the Caribbean, Keira Knightley played a passionate footballer who doesn’t care much about female clichés in Kick it Like Beckham. As Elisabeth Swan, the then teenager had to put her femininity to good use. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar last year, she talked about her experiences:
It was interesting to start out as a really boyish girl and then be portrayed as the exact opposite.
In Pirates of the Caribbean, she is the woman who is fought over. Two men (played by Orlando Bloom, who is eight years older, and Johnny Depp, who is 22 years older) want to win Elizabeth Swan for themselves.
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Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean
At the same time, she is kidnapped by the villainous pirate Barbossa:
She was the object of everyone’s desire. Not that she doesn’t have a lot of fighting spirit in her. […] I felt very restricted. I felt very stuck.
Although Elizabeth is portrayed as a strong character in the film, Keira Knightley apparently did not feel entirely comfortable in the role.
Keira Knightley had to take a 2-year break after the Pirates of the Caribbean series
After filming parts 2 and 3 of the pirate series, she said goodbye to Pirates of the Caribbean. Although she can’t say exactly why she felt that way today, she did everything she could to get out of the confinement. Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is currently in development, but (as far as we know) again without Keira Knightley.
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Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean
After filming, she suffered from burnout and had to take a two-year break. After that, she mainly worked on films with nuanced roles such as Atonement, All We Had to Give and A Dangerous Method. Knightley wanted to try to grow as an actress with each new role. Therefore, after Pirates of the Caribbean, no more big family blockbusters in her filmography.
However, their working practices during and after Pirates of the Caribbean came at a price:
I was incredibly hard on myself. I was never good enough.
She now looks back with awe at her 22-year-old self, at how hard she worked and how ambitious she was. Since she made a guest appearance in Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Salazar’s Revenge in 2017, she also seems to have found peace with Elisabeth Swan. But she doesn’t want to return to Pirates of the Caribbean again.