Keira Knightley was 'stalked by men' after 'Pirates of the Caribbean' success that came at a 'big cost'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Keira Knightley’s meteoric rise to fame in 2003 at the age of 18, thanks to 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' and 'Love Actually', came at a "big cost".

Even though the young actor became a household name, Knightley has now revealed the brutal realities of her early stardom and misogynistic treatment in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Keira Knightley reveals being 'stalked by men' in her early 20s

“It’s very brutal to have your privacy taken away in your teenage years, early 20s, and to be put under that scrutiny at a point when you are still growing,” Keira Knightley, who recently starred in the 2024 thriller series 'Black Doves', said during the interview.

She then emphasized, "Having said that, I wouldn’t have the financial stability or the career that I do now without that period."

“I had a five-year period between the age of 17 and 21-ish, and I’m never going to have that kind of success again. It totally set me up for life. Did it come at a cost? Yes, it did. It came at a big cost.”

The fallout of her rapid ascent wasn’t just limited to paparazzi hounding her every move or relentless body shaming from the press, according to Variety.

Knightley revealed she was stalked by men, a terrifying ordeal made worse by the disturbing justification she received, "I didn’t think it was OK at the time. I was very clear on it being absolutely shocking."

“There was an amount of gaslighting to be told by a load of men that ‘you wanted this.’ It was rape speak. You know, ‘This is what you deserve.’ It was a very violent, misogynistic atmosphere,” the actress revealed.

The actor described the specific and chilling implication behind these comments. “They very specifically meant I wanted to be stalked by men,” she said.

“Whether that was stalking because somebody was mentally ill, or because people were earning money from it — it felt the same to me. It was a brutal time to be a young woman in the public eye,” she added.

Keira Knightley reflects on how 'Pirates of the Caribbean' made her and broke her

For Keira Knightly, fame during her teenage years felt synonymous with public shaming, a phenomenon she now sees magnified by social media.

“Social media has put that in a whole other context, when you look at the damage that’s been done to young women, to teenage girls," she said.

"Ultimately, that’s what fame is — it’s being publicly shamed. A lot of teenage girls don’t survive that,” she added.

Knightley’s tenure in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise came with its own set of challenges.

While the films became global hits, propelling her career to new heights, they also made her a target for relentless criticism.

“It’s a funny thing when you have something that was making and breaking you at the same time,” Knightley shared with The Times of London.

“I was seen as s**t 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,” she continued.

Knightley also dismissed the idea of returning to a Hollywood franchise, stating, “The 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.”

Despite the challenges, Knightley’s career flourished in the years following her 'Pirates' run, earning her critical acclaim for roles in 'Atonement' and 'Pride and Prejudice', which garnered her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.