Keira Knightley Reflects on 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Criticisms: 'I Was Seen As A Terrible Actress'

Yahoo

a day ago

Keira Knightley Reflects on 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Criticisms: 'I Was Seen As A Terrible Actress' originally appeared on Parade.
Just as it's impossible to imagine anyone but Johnny Depp playing the swaggering buccaneer captain Jack Sparrow, it's practically unthinkable to picture anyone else portraying Pirates of the Caribbean's Elizabeth Swann save for Keira Knightley.
Starring in the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films at a remarkably young age, Knightley served as one of the principal stars in the Disney-produced action fantasy series. Maintaining exceptional chemistry with co-stars Depp and Orlando Bloom, Knightley's role in the franchise launched the actress to new heights in the film industry.
Looking back at her time in the series, however, the 40-year-old Oscar-nominated actress tends to view the franchise with a certain degree of bafflement.
Speaking with fellow actress Rosamund Pike in a piece for Vanity Fair, Knightley specifically highlighted the criticisms she faced for her role in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, especially when held up to her critically acclaimed role in Pride & Prejudice in 2005.
At the time, Knightley had received her first Academy Award nomination for portraying Pride & Prejudice's lovesick protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet. Though critical favor for her role in the Jane Austen adaptation was nothing less than extraordinary, Knightley soon said she faced criticism for her role in the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel.
"Yes, it was pretty big for my career," Knightley said of the Oscar nomination. "If people will come up to me, it'll be about that one. Pirates of the Caribbean had already come out, but I think in the public consciousness, I was seen as a terrible actress. But I had this phenomenally big success with Pirates. And I think this was the first one that was a phenomenally big success, but was also critically acclaimed."
"So I remember it coming out maybe the same year, maybe around the same time as Pirates 2," the actress continued. "And I got the worst reviews ever for that, and then also being nominated for an Oscar at the same time — it was, in my 21-year-old head, quite confusing."
Keira Knightley Reflects on 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Criticisms: 'I Was Seen As A Terrible Actress' first appeared on Parade on Jun 13, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.