Keira Knightley recalls 'years of therapy' after Pirates of the Caribbean

Keira Knightley once opened up about the mental toll Pirates of the Caribbean had on her, prompting her to take "many years of therapy."

At just 17 years old, Knightley took on the role of Elizabeth Swann in the award-winning film alongside Johnny Depp.

The film catapulted her into overnight stardom, which she described as "pretty horrific."

In a 2016 interview with Variety, Knightley candidly shared: "I’m not an extrovert, so I found that level of scrutiny and that level of fame really hard.

"It was an age where you are becoming, you haven’t become, and you need to make mistakes. It’s a very precarious age, particularly for women."

"You’re in some ways still a child. It was traumatic, but it set up the rest of my career."

The actress later told The Telegraph in 2019 that she couldn't handle the fame.

That said, Knightley expressed how she had no regrets, and the role led her to a place where she could "really enjoy" her career with a "level of fame that's much less intense."

"I can deal with it now, and that’s great. But at the time, it was not so great, and took many years of therapy to figure it out," she added.

Reflecting on her family life, the star confessed to "really, really, really" hoping her daughter doesn't get into acting.

"I hope she’s going to be an environmental lawyer or something spectacular, but I’m going to be the kind of parent where whatever interest she has, I’m going to be supportive," she added.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.