SUMMARY
  • Keira Knightley opened up about the toxic and misogynistic media scrutiny she faced early in her career.
  • Despite the emotional challenges, Knightley credits her difficult experiences for shaping her life and career.
  • Knightley reflected on the stalker-like undertone in her 'Love Actually' scene, admitting her age to be one important factor for that.

Fame often seems like a double-edged sword. Young talents appearing in Hollywood and their rise to fame are not as smooth as many people perceive them to be from the outside. This has also been the story of Keira Knightley.

Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Becoming a teen icon bursting through the international scene, Knightley felt the ruthless realities of the Hollywood media scrutiny early in her career. Her recent comments show the struggles young actors go through, especially females in the early 2000s entertainment industry.

Keira Knightley’s Early Career Struggles

Keira Knightley in Pride & Prejudice
Keira Knightley in Pride & Prejudice | Credit: Universal Pictures

Keira Knightley indeed has earned fame quite early. She was an overnight sensation during her teenage years, and her roles were the ones that made her the favorite of a whole generation. Bend It Like Beckham and Love Actually put her on the map, and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise gave her global fame.

However, what appears sad is that all this was achieved at a cost. Knightley suffered the toxic paparazzi culture and overexposure to media attention. In a recent interview with Los Angeles Times, she said,

My jaw dropped at the time. I didn’t think it was okay 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 r*pe speak. You know, ‘This is what you deserve.’

The attention was not the typical one that celebrities always get. Knightley said she felt a “very violent, misogynistic atmosphere,” where many men in the industry made her feel unsafe. She confessed,

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.

Roles in Pride & Prejudice and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies took the public’s obsession to a new high, and the constant exposure came at an emotional toll.

However, Knightley acknowledges that she “wouldn’t have the financial stability or the career” she has now “without that period.” She believes that the five-year period between 17 and 21 shaped her for life.

Keira Knightley’s Stalkerish Experience in Love Actually

Keira Knightley in Love Actually
Keira Knightley in Love Actually | Credit: Universal Pictures

Other than her early career, Knightley recently shared her honest feelings about her movie Love Actually, in which she acted at the age of 17. One of the most-discussed scenes is when Mark, played by Andrew Lincoln, confesses his love through cue cards.

Even Knightley herself said that it was quite “creepy.” During her interview with the LA Times, she remembered that Richard Curtis said to her that she needed to change her expressions to take her uncomfortable look out of the scene. 

The slightly stalkerish aspect of it – I do remember that. My memory is of Richard, who is now a very dear friend, of me doing the scene, and him going, ‘No, you’re looking at [Andrew] like he’s creepy,’ and I’m like [in a dramatic whisper], ‘But it is quite creepy.’

Her anxiety can be attributed to how young she was when it all happened. She said,

I mean, there was a creep factor at the time, right? Also, I knew I was 17. It only seems like a few years ago that everybody else realized I was 17.

She acknowledges that some people do find it romantic while some side with her emotions at that time. However, Knightley still loves the movie and is surprised by its impact after all these years and believes that it found its audience years after its release.

Love Actually is available to stream on Prime Video.

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