Keira Knightley opened up about the tough side of being famous, especially in her early 20s, when she remembered being followed by men. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the Oscar-nominated actress talked about how hard it was to deal with public attention, body shaming, and criticism at such a young age.
It’s really tough to lose your privacy when you’re a teenager or in your early 20s, especially when you’re still figuring out who you are, But I have to admit, that time gave me the career and financial stability I have today. Between 17 and 21, I had amazing success, and I know I’ll never have that again. It shaped my future, but it came with a big price.
Knightley shared
The actress became famous in 2003 at just 18 years old for her roles in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Love Actually. However, playing Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies brought her a lot of unwanted and inappropriate attention from people.
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Knightley shared that she was shocked by how people treated her in public.
I knew it wasn’t right, It was unbelievable to hear some men say, ‘You wanted this.’ They made it sound like I deserved it, which was wrong and hurtful. It felt like a very harsh and unfair environment toward women.
she said
The Pride & Prejudice actress added,
They acted like I wanted to be followed by men, whether it was by someone who wasn’t well or people trying to make money off me—it all felt the same to me. It was a really tough time to be a young woman in the spotlight.
More than 20 years later, Knightley thinks social media has made things even harder for young girls today.
Social media has taken it to a whole new level when you see how much harm it’s done to teenage girls, Fame often feels like being publicly shamed, and many teenage girls really struggle with that.
she said
Last month, the Atonement star talked about her experience making the Pirates of the Caribbean movies with Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. While she appreciates how the films helped her become a big name in Hollywood, she also feels their popularity led to her being criticized and judged in public.
Knightley explained,
It’s strange when something both helps and hurts you at the same time. People looked down on me because of those films, but their success gave me the chance to do movies that got me Oscar nominations. They were the biggest films I’ll ever be part of, but they also caused me to be publicly criticized. So, it’s a confusing feeling for me.
Source: Los Angeles Times