Franchises like the MCU and Star Wars have a way of dominating their competition at the box office with each new release. Getting a franchise going is difficult for even the biggest studios, and many franchises have completely sputtered out from the jump and never got the chance to thrive.
The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise set sail in the 2000s and proved to be a monumental success. Keira Knightley was brilliantly cast as Elizabeth Swann, and she was a mainstay in the first three films. However, some performers have grown to hate the roles that made them famous, and fans have wondered how Knightley has grown to feel about the role.
Let’s take a look and see if Knightley regrets being in the Pirates franchise.
‘Pirates’ Helped Make Her A Star
The 2000s was a wild time for franchise films, and movie fans got to see some incredible action on the big screen. It was during this time that Keira Knightley became a household name thanks to her time in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which would go on to gross billions of dollars at the box office.
Released back in 2003, Curse of the Black Pearl was the first Pirates of the Caribbean film to hit the big screen, and it was a surprise success that took people on a wild adventure. It was a film that was based on an attraction at Disneyland, and people had absolutely no idea how it would fare at the box office. Thanks to a great script and sharp casting, that film made over $650 million an changed everything in a hurry.
From there, Dead Man’s Chest would be put into production, and it would look to take things to another level. Once again, Keira Knightley was starring alongside Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, and their chemistry was captured perfectly. Building off the success of Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest wound up grossing over $1 billion at the global box office.
In 2007, At World’s End, the trilogy film, was released into theaters looking to make bank like its predecessors. The franchise was a seemingly unstoppable force at this time, and this trilogy film was destined to conquer the box office. Low and behold, At World’s End took home over $960 million during its theatrical run. As great as this was, Knightley moved on from the franchise.
She Departed The Franchise
With three successful Pirates movies in the bag, Keira Knightley, who had worked on other projects during her Pirates days, was ready to do something a little bit different from swashbuckling on the high seas. The performer would soon appear in movies like Atonement, Silk, and The Duchess. It was a a nice change of pace that allowed her to flex her range.
In 2011, On Stranger Tides, the fourth film in the Pirates franchise, was gearing up for release, and fans were wondering if Knightley was going to reprise the role of Elizabeth Swann. This would ultimately not come to pass, as the actress appeared to be fully moved on from the franchise that helped make her a star. Not only was she not returning, but neither was Orlando Bloom.
Nevertheless, On Stranger Tides did go on to be a huge success at the box office, despite its lukewarm reception from critics. There was a noticeable difference in the franchise without Knightley and Bloom playing Elizabeth and Will, and the movie certainly could have used them.
She Doesn’t Regret It At All
Now, after skipping out on On Stranger Tides, people had to wonder if Knightley regretted appearing in the franchise in the first place. Yes, it made her a household name, but plenty of famous faces have grown to resent their most popular roles.
When speaking with Yahoo, Knightley would say, “So looking back, would I do anything different? No, I wouldn’t because I’m unbelievably lucky now, and my career is in a place where I really enjoy it, and I have a level of fame that’s much less intense. I can deal with it now, and that’s great. But at the time, it was not so great, and took many years of therapy to figure it out.”
This was refreshing to hear, as fans really loved what she did with Elizabeth on the big screen. Eventually, Knightley and Bloom would make a return to the franchise for Dead Men Tell No Tales back in 2017. The film didn’t get great reviews, but it did well at the box office. Fans mainly loved seeing Knightley and Bloom together back on the big screen in the franchise.
The Pirates of the Caribbean films were a huge success for Knightley, and it’s great to hear that she does not regret making them.