'Called me wh*re or sl*t': Keira Knightley recalls paparazzi harassment
What's the story
Hollywood actor Keira Knightley recently opened up about the dark side of fame in a recent interview with The Times of London. She recalled being verbally abused by paparazzi at the peak of her career, especially after the success of Pirates of the Caribbean. "I went mad," she said, describing how the relentless pursuit took a toll on her mental health.
Abuse
Paparazzi would hurl abuses at her
Knightley revealed that the paparazzi would often shout words like "wh*re" and "sl*t," especially when she was with someone. "They were trying to get a reaction out of them - provoking people into punching them so they could sue," she added. She also described how photographers would force people off the roads to capture pictures of a crashed actor for bigger money.
Evasion tactics
To avoid being clicked, she wore same clothes every day
To make herself less appealing to tabloids, Knightley started wearing the same clothes every day. She wore "three pairs of the same jeans, stripy T-shirt, boots" and gave away all her other clothes. "And then if I was being followed, I stopped walking. I'd literally stand there. Stock still. One day, I stood there for five hours."
Family support
Knightley considered quitting acting
The constant pressure eventually led Knightley to consider quitting acting. Her family supported this decision, urging her to "just walk." She traveled across Europe by train, finding solace in museums and public spaces where she could go unnoticed. "I was very scruffy, which they also wouldn't have expected. You just don't make eye contact, go a bit hunched. I kind of slithered," she said.
Fame's cost
'Brutal time to be a young woman in public eye'
Reflecting on this tumultuous period, the Atonement actor admitted that fame came at a steep price. "It was a brutal time to be a young woman in the public eye," she had confessed earlier. "I felt stalked by men." Knightley was only 18 when she was launched in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. She can currently be seen in Netflix's The Woman in Cabin 10.