Keira Knightley Opens Up About Being Stalked During Height of 'Pirates' Fame

Keira Knightley, who shot to fame in the 2000s for playing Elizabeth Swan in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series opposite Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp, recently opened up about a scary situation she faced in early stardom.

In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Knightley revealed that she had been stalked, calling it an "absolutely shocking" experience.

🤩🤩 SIGN UP for Parade's Trending News newsletter & we'll keep you in the know on the viral pop culture moments & celebrity news everyone is talking about 🗞️🗞️

In the revealing conversation, Knightley reflected on a five-year period during the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise that led to both financial and career growth, but also some pretty serious struggles in her personal life.

"It totally set me up for life. Did it come at a cost? Yes, it did. It came at a big cost," she said.

Knightley, now 39, called those years "a brutal time to be a young woman in the public eye," adding, "My jaw dropped at the time. I didn’t think it was OK at the time. I was very clear on it being absolutely shocking."

She noted that there was "an amount of gaslighting to be told by a load of men that 'you wanted this.'...It was a very violent, misogynistic atmosphere."

"They very specifically meant I wanted to be stalked by men," the Black Doves actress explained. "Whether that was stalking because somebody was mentally ill, or because people were earning money from it — it felt the same to me."

"Knowing the cost, could I, in all good conscience, say to my kid, you should do that? No," she continued, "But am I grateful for it? Yes."

Along with Pirates of the Caribbean, Knightley gained attention for roles in other films like Bend It Like Beckham, Love Actually, Begin Again and many more projects over the years.

Next: Keira Knightley Says Pirates of the Caribbean Movies "Were the Reason That I Was Taken Down"