Keira Knightley Opens Up About Stalking and Misogyny During ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Fame: “It was rape speak”

Keira Knightley rose to worldwide prominence with her role as Elizabeth Swann in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.’ Knightley was 17 years old when she was cast in the first movie, and in the past opened up regarding some of the aspects of the role that marked her acting career.

Despite her experience not always being pleasant, the actress reprised her role in 4 installments. Considering that she started acting really young, Knightley was often targeted by abuse and exploitation. In her latest interview with the Los Angeles Times, the actress opened up regarding what the meant to her and whether she would allow her children to start acting THAT young.

Knightley said she wouldn’t let her kids act publicly until they were older, as she values their privacy. She also shared that her early acting experiences were positive, with her career only gaining major attention after ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ at age 16.

They haven’t expressed an interest, but I wouldn’t allow them to do anything public until they were grown up. I think their privacy is very important.

I was very lucky. I did little bits [of acting] during my summer holidays, nothing was massively successful. It was only a positive experience for me. It wasn’t until I was 16, with “Bend It Like Beckham,” that it suddenly blew up.

The actress said it was tough to lose her privacy and face intense scrutiny at a young age, but she acknowledges that it helped her build the career and financial stability she has today. While she wouldn’t want her kids to go through the same experience, she’s grateful for what it gave her, though it came at a cost. Thankfully, her kids aren’t interested in acting.

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. 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. Knowing the cost, could I, in all good conscience, say to my kid, you should do that? No. But am I grateful for it? Yes. But then that’s life, isn’t it? Luckily, my kids are completely uninterested.

The actress said she had a stable family life and supportive friends who weren’t influenced by the industry. This separation from the business was important to her, and she was always encouraged to step away from acting if she ever wanted to. Unlike others who might face pressure from people profiting off them, she had the freedom to stop whenever she chose: “I was supported and told that I was allowed to stop at any time” the actress said.

Knightley then opened up regarding the darkest part of her ‘Pirates’ career, the fact that she was stalked, abused, and gaslighted by others. The actress described it as “rape speak. She said she was caught up in a “very violent, misogynistic atmosphere.”

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. 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.

They very specifically meant I wanted to be stalked by men. 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.

Knightley mentioned that social media only amplified the effects of this and sadly it has more disastrous consequences: “A lot of teenage girls don’t survive that” she added

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

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