Keira Knightley talks about gaslighting, paparazzi and misogyny in Hollywood
Keira Knightley has recently revealed the price she had to pay for her fame after Pirates of the Caribbean success.
In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, the Atonement star talked about the perils of stardom she faced in her early 20s after she gave hits like Bend It Like Beckham, Love Actually and Johnny Depp’s Pirates.
However, Keira opened up that the success came at a “big cost” as she was being told she wanted men to stalk her.
“There was an amount of gaslighting to be told by a load of men that you wanted this.’ It was rape speak. You know, ‘This is what you deserve,” said the 39-year-old.
Reflecting on her early days of struggle in the industry, the Pride & Prejudice actress mentioned, “It was a very violent, misogynistic atmosphere. They very specifically meant I wanted to be stalked by men.”
“Whether that was stalking because somebody was mentally ill, or because people were earning money from it — it felt the same to me. It was a brutal time to be a young woman in the public eye,” explained Keira.
Keira further said that it’s vicious “to have your privacy taken away in your teenage years,” and then they are “put under that scrutiny at a point when you are still growing”
However, two decades later, Keira noted that social media had made it worse for new girls in the industry.
“Social media has put that in a whole other context, when you look at the damage that’s been done to young women, to teenage girls,” continued the actress.
Keira added, “Ultimately, that’s what fame is — it’s being publicly shamed. A lot of teenage girls don’t survive that.”
