Keira Knightley's Life Today And Why Franchises Are Out For Her

In a recent interview with ‘The Times’, Knightley shared her thoughts on balancing her responsibilities as a parent with her acting career. "I couldn't go job to job [abroad] now. It wouldn't be in any way fair on them, and I wouldn't want to. I've chosen to have children, I want to bring them up, so I've had to take a major step back," she stated, emphasizing her commitment to her children. The actress has chosen to step back from international projects, opting instead for roles that keep her closer to home. Her recent work in the Netflix series ‘Black Doves’ exemplifies this new approach.

Looking back at her time filming the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films, which she worked on from 2003 to 2007, it was clear that kind of schedule wouldn't be sustainable with two little ones at home. "The hours are insane," she recalled. "It's years of your life, you have no control over where you're filming, how long you're filming, what you're filming."

But her schedule isn't the only thing that's changed with parenthood. In fact, the Atonement star, who began acting at age 8, emphasized that her daughters won't be following in her footsteps to enter the industry so young. "Particularly for a young girl, I think you need those pieces of paper saying that you're smart," Keira explained. "Otherwise, people think you're stupid, particularly looking the way I did. That was hard."

After suffering through the perils of young stardom compounded by the pressures of being in a franchise as popular as 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' the English actress, months away from turning 40, is reflecting on how she handled it all.

Knightley's decision marks a significant shift from her earlier years in the industry. During her time filming the first three ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films from 2003 to 2007, she experienced a demanding schedule that would be challenging to maintain with a family. Now, as a mother, she recognizes the importance of being present for her children and has adjusted her career accordingly.

"It’s a funny thing when you have something that was making and breaking you at the same time," Knightley told 'The Times' of the 'Pirates' franchise. "I was seen as s--- because of them, and yet, because they did so well, I was given the opportunity to do the films that I ended up getting Oscar nominations for."

"They were the most successful films I’ll ever be a part of, and they were the reason that I was taken down publicly," she continued of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, which also starred Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. "So they’re a very confused place in my head." As a result, Knightley said she would not work on a franchised project again. "The hours are insane. It’s years of your life, you have no control over where you’re filming, how long you’re filming, what you’re filming."

And it's tough to be a star 24/7. "It is brutal for young women within this industry," she reflected on the 'Chanel Connects' podcast in 2021. "Being followed around 24/7 by packs of up to 30 men with their lenses, through my windows and being called a whore every time I left the house in order to invoke a reaction because the pictures were worth more if I was crying. Or being forced off the road, because they suddenly found that, there was a lot of money to be made out of car crashes," she continued. "So, you'd have guys with cameras trying to force your car off the road. Trying to figure out a way when, as we're all experiencing now, the world goes insane around you, how do you keep your sanity?"

"In that classic trauma way I don’t remember it," she admitted of that time. "There’s been a complete delete, and then some things will come up, and I’ll suddenly have a very bodily memory of it because, ultimately, it’s public shaming, isn’t it? It’s obviously part of my psyche, given how young I was when it happened. I’ve been made around it." Now she looks forward to turning a new page in her professional life.

Now, as a married mother to two young girls, Knightley feels as though she has much more control over her own narrative. "I keep being offered things about children dying or about mothers dying. Can’t do it," she shared. "I’ve been really surprised in the past few years about what I’ve said no to. I’ve wanted it to be more pure entertainment and maybe that’s because I’ve needed that."