Keira Knightley is one of the most talented and well-recognized actresses in Hollywood. Having established herself as a force to be reckoned with, the actress has starred in many massively successful projects, including Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, Anna Karenina, and Love Actually. She has also been nominated for an Acadamy Award twice, once in the category of Best Actress for her 2005, Pride and Prejudice, as well as in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her work in The Imitation Games.
Outside of these films, the actress is, perhaps, most well known for her work in The Pirates of the Caribbean series. Playing Elizabeth Swan in the franchise, Knightley starred alongside legendary actors like Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. Being one of the most successful franchises of all time, it is quite interesting to find out that Knightley thought that the first film in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, was going to be a failure.
Keira Knightley Though She Was Making A Big Mistake
Keira Knightley was not a very well-known actress until her film, Bend It Like Beckham, a 2002 comedy film. After this, the actress was working on her 2003 film, Love Actually, starring A-List actors like Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, and Emma Thompson. Starring as Juliet Kane, it was during the filming of this project when Knightley was in talks with Disney to star in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
“With Keira, it was only her second film and I remember talking to her while we were shooting and asking her what she was doing next and she said, ‘Oh it’s going to be terrible and I’ve probably made a terrible mistake but I’m doing this pirates movie.’”
Richard Curtis, the director of Love Actually, revealed that Knightley thought that she was making a big mistake when she agreed to take on the Johnny Depp film. The director elaborated, stating that after filming finished for their film, he asked the actress, out of obligation and curiosity, what she was doing after this project. The actress spoke honestly, stating that she feared that she was making a mistake by being part of the Disney film and thought that it would be awful.
Keira Knightly Was Wrong About The Pirates of the Caribbean
Keira Knightley was clearly very wrong about the film as the franchise went on to boost the actress’s fame the a completely different level, establishing her as one of the most skilled and versatile actresses in the industry. She was cast in this film after the producers of the film stated that she possessed an ‘indescribable quality reminiscent of motion picture stars from Hollywood’s heyday’.
The film was massively successful, having made $654 million worldwide, and was followed by multiple sequels, including Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Source: The Daily Beast
