Keira Knightley says she was 'taken down publicly' because of “Pirates of the Caribbean”: 'I was seen as s---'

Knightley says the "Pirates" era of her career sits in "a very confused place in my head."

Keira Knightley still doesn't know how she feels about Pirates of the Caribbean.

"It's a funny thing when you have something that was making and breaking you at the same time," she told The Times in a recent interview. "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. 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 was cast in the first entry in what would become the sprawling Pirates of the Caribbean when she was just 17. The London-born actress had already been acting for over a decade in commercials, on stage, and in small screen parts, and achieved a significant breakthrough with 2002's Bend It Like Beckham.

But Pirates transformed her career. The role of Elizabeth Swann, the adventurous Governor's daughter turned high seas-sailing swashbuckler, instantly placed her in contention for Hollywood's hottest parts — though not without a price.

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In the same interview, Knightley discussed the lasting impact of speculation around her weight and eating habits during her early career.

"I knew I wasn't. I knew I was eating," Knightley said, noting "In that classic trauma way I don’t remember it. 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."

Knightley has admitted that she had a "mental breakdown" at age 22, the same year Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was released.

Despite owing her global popularity to a massive film franchise, Knightley subsequently steered course toward smaller films, independent films, and projects drawn from original creative material.

"The hours are insane," she said, reflecting on the franchise filmmaking experience. "It’s years of your life, you have no control over where you’re filming, how long you’re filming, what you’re filming."

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Knightley's two Academy Award-nominated performances were for 2005 Jane Austen adaptation Pride & Prejudice and The Imitation Game, the 2014 dramatization of the life of British cryptanalyst Alan Turing.

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The actress briefly appeared in the fifth Pirates film, 2011's Dead Men Tell No Tales. She has not commented on whether she'll appear in the sixth Pirates film, which has been discussed on-and-off by Disney execs since 2019.