Keira Knightley, known for her Oscar-nominated roles in Pride & Prejudice and The Imitation Game, has said that she will not be a part of franchise films again after the experience of being a part of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
The actress starred as a lead character in three of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Knightley appeared in 2003’s Curse of the Black Pearl, 2006’s Dead Man’s Chest, and 2007’s At World’s End as Elizabeth Swann alongside fellow leads Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp.
Keira Knightley says she ‘was taken down publicly’ because of Pirates of the Caribbean
Keira Knightley recently had a conversation with The Times in which she spoke about her time while working on Pirates of the Caribbean.
Knightley, who was only 17 at the time of shooting the first movie, disclosed that although the franchise made her a renowned name in Hollywood, it also had its drawbacks. The actress recalled how she was criticized by the media regarding her appearance in those movies.
Knightley said, “It’s a funny thing when you have something that was making and breaking you at the same time. I was seen as s*** 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.” She further added, “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.”
Knightley also asserted that she has no intention of becoming a part of franchise movies again after Pirates of the Caribbean. The actress emphasized that the work “hours are insane. It’s years of your life, you have no control over where you’re filming, how long you’re filming, what you’re filming.”
The first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies were highly successful at the global box office, with The Curse of the Black Pearl making $654 million, Dead Man’s Chest making over a billion, and At World’s End earning approximately $960 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
