Credit: Disney
Keira Knightley Makes Shocking Admission About Pirates Of The Caribbean After Needing Years Of Trauma Therapy
Keira Knightley made a shocking admission about her time in Pirates of the Caribbean after explaining that she’d been through years of therapy.
The English actress rose to international stardom through her portrayal of Elizabeth Swann, a governor’s daughter turned pirate leader, alongside Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow and Orlando Bloom as Will Turner.
Knightley appeared in three of the franchise’s films between 2003 and 2007 – a period that she has since revealed brought both opportunity and difficulty.
And now, she has reflected on the negative consequences of starring in the movies in further detail.
Sixth Pirates of the Caribbean movie in the works
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer delighted fans of the franchise in 2024 after confirming another installment.
He told ComicBook.com: “With Top Gun, you have an actor who is iconic and brilliant [Tom Cruise]. But we’re gonna reboot Pirates, so that is easier to put together because you don’t have to wait for certain actors.”
It appears Depp will not be involved in the new addition to the franchise, which was the subject of testimony during his defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard.
Heard’s lawyer asked Depp: “If Disney came to you with $300m dollars and a million alpacas, nothing on this Earth would get you to go back and work with Disney on a Pirates of the Caribbean film?”
To which the actor responded: “That is true.”
Knightley has also confirmed that she will not be returning to the franchise, telling People: “It was amazing and I’m very pleased to have been a part of that, but I suspect that my swashbuckling days are done.”
The actress, who has opened up about the difficulties of working on Pirates of the Caribbean, appears to be going in a different direction with her career.
What is Keira Knightley working on now?
Although Knightley took a break from acting following her time on the franchise and other major films, she has since embraced a more balanced career and personal life.
Today, she resides in London with her husband, musician James Righton, and their two children, while continuing to work on projects that resonate with her values and interests.
Most recently, she starred in the 2025 thriller The Woman in Cabin 10 and the 2023 film Boston Strangler.
Keira speaks of working on Pirates movies
In an interview with The Times, Knightley reflected on this period of her life and how while the franchise was successful, it led to significant public criticism.
She remarked: “It’s a funny thing when you have something that was making and breaking you at the same time.”
The actress added that she was ‘in a very confused place’ due to the intensity of working on such a massive project, in addition to the scrutiny that came along with it.
“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 in a very confused place in my head,” she said.
Working on the movies led Knightley to decide that she wouldn’t participate in such a large film franchise again.
“The hours are insane,” she explained, adding that the demanding nature of such productions consumed years of her life and left her with little control over her schedule.
Years of therapy
Fame proved to be particularly overwhelming for Knightley during her younger years.
In a 2019 interview with The Telegraph, she shared that she had undergone ‘many years of therapy’ to cope with the pressures of public life.
“The fame that came with them I just couldn’t handle,” she said.
Chatting with Harper’s Bazaar in 2023, Knightley reflected on the challenges of embodying Elizabeth Swann, a character who was often portrayed as a lustful object.
“It was interesting coming from being really tomboyish to getting projected as quite the opposite. I felt very constrained. I felt very stuck,” she explained.
Keira makes shock admission
Now, the actress has shared that she thinks many people believe she is a bad actress because of the movies.
In a 2025 interview with Vanity Fair, in which Knightley appeared alongside Rosamund Pike as they reflected on their roles in the 2005 film Pride & Prejudice, she said: “Pirates of the Caribbean had already come out, but I think in the public consciousness, I was seen as a terrible actress.
“I had this phenomenally big success with Pirates and I think Pride & Prejudice was the first one that was a phenomenally big success, but was also critically acclaimed.”
She continued: “I remember it coming out maybe the same year, maybe around the same time, as Pirates 2 – and I got the worst reviews ever for that. Then also being nominated for an Oscar at the same time, it was, in my 21-year-old head, quite confusing.”
The second Pirates movie, Dead Man’s Chest, was released in July 2006, and it came just months after the actress received her first Best Actress Oscar nomination for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the Jane Austen adaptation Pride & Prejudice.
Previously, Keira has acknowledged the difficult journey of the starring in the franchise, while remaining grateful.
She said: “Would I do anything different? No, I wouldn’t because I’m unbelievably lucky now, and my career is in a place where I really enjoy it.”
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