10 Actors Who Were Haunted By Their Movie Roles
3. Keira Knightley – Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl
The 2000s belonged to Keira Knightley. The actress was at the top of her game during this period, with a string of impressive films already claimed and conquered at such a young age, including the likes of Love Actually, Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, and of course the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
However, fame is a dangerous drug, and the cons more often than not outweigh the pros, and this is definitely something Knightley discovered.
Now 38 years old, it begs belief that Keira Knightley was only 17 years old when filming Curse of the Black Pearl, considering the scenes she was having to shoot as well as the majority of her co-stars being considerably older than her.
Pirates of the Caribbean was undoubtedly the cannon that shot her into universal fame and fortune, but it took years of therapy for Knightley to overcome the trauma of the experience. As she once stated, “I found it pretty horrific… you’re in some ways still a child. It was traumatic, but it set up the rest of my career.”
Just five years later from her Pirates of the Caribbean debut, Knightley was diagnosed with PTSD and subsequently took a year-long break from acting as she struggled to cope with her newfound notoriety. Although she is now able to take a breather and look back on her career with fond memories, Keira Knightley’s breakout is a troubling tale depicting the dark side of becoming a celebrity.