Keira Knightley’s mixed emotions on Pirates of the Caribbean leaves slim chance for return

Last Updated on December 2, 2024

If you think Elizabeth Swann had had it with wobbly-legged, rum-soaked pirates, then wait until you hear what Keira Knightley has to say. While not exactly ungrateful for her time making the first three films in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, she remains conflicted on the impact they had on her career.

Keira Knightley – who played Swann in The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End – said that while Pirates of the Caribbean offered her opportunities she wouldn’t have otherwise gotten, they also made her feel like she was walking the plank. “It’s a funny thing when you have something that was making and breaking you at the same time. I was seen as sh*t 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,” referring to Pride and Prejudice and The Imitation Game (although she was deserving of one for Atonement, too). 

Keira Knightley added that even though the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies brought in nearly $2.7 billion worldwide (with the series eventually $4.5 billion), a lot of that only brought problems for her. “They were the most successful films I’ll ever be a part of and they were the reason that I was taken down publicly. So they’re a very confused place in my head. 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.”

That doesn’t sound like Keira Knightley would ever be down to return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, even if Orlando Bloom – who also left after At World’s End, popping in for a cameo in Dead Man’s Chest – wouldn’t mind reprising Will Turner…Then again, there are a lot of unanswered questions over the series.

What do you make of Keira Knightley’s comments on the Pirates of the Caribbean series? Do you see the franchise being a success moving forward or should it stay in Davy Jones’ locker? Let us know below!