Keira Knightley refuses to return to film franchises after ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ took her ‘down publicly’

nypost.com:

The “Atonement” actress, 39, discussed how the Disney franchise positively and negatively impacted her life during a recent interview with The Times. “It’s a funny thing when you have something that was making and breaking you at the same time,” Knightley said, referring to the “Pirates” movies. “I was seen as s–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.” Knightley has received two Oscar nominations over the course of her career.

The British star was nominated for Best Actress in 2005 for her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in director Joe Wright’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” and then for Best Supporting Actress in 2014 for playing Joan Clarke in the WWII drama “The Imitation Game,” opposite Benedict Cumberbatch.“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 added. “So they’re a very confused place in my head.” Knightley starred alongside Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom in the first three “Pirates of the Caribbean” films, which were released in 2003, 2006 and 2007.

She was only 18 when the first movie hit theaters. Due to her experience, she has no plans of acting in a film franchise ever 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,” she explained.