Orlando Bloom has offered his reaction to former co-star Keira Knightley’s comments about the effect the Pirates of the Caribbean films have had on her career.
The actress, 39, who dazzled at the Golden Globe Awards earlier this month, spoke about her mixed feelings surrounding the blockbusters while promoting her Netflix series Black Doves, Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series, Drama nomination.
In an interview with The Times, the two-time Oscar nominee said the franchise ‘was making and breaking’ her at the same time.
‘I was seen as s*** because of them,’ she explained, ‘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 said they were ‘the most successful films I’ll ever be a part of, and they were the reason that I was taken down publicly. So they’re a very confused place in my head.’
‘It was such a huge moment in time that is almost like… it feels almost like another lifetime now, Bloom 48, told Entertainment Weekly.
Orlando Bloom has offered his interpretations of former co-star Keira Knightley’s comments about the effect the Pirates of the Caribbean films have had on her career. The two starred 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and two sequels
‘I definitely understand where Keira was coming from, and she does wonderful things,’ the actor said, ‘I have a lot of positive takeaways.’
The 2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl helped launch Knightley’s career into the stratosphere, but it came with a cost.
The action adventure starring Knightley, Bloom, Jeffrey Rush and Johnny Depp made more than $654 million worldwide according to Box Office Mojo.
The film received average reviews from critics, but audiences disagreed and showed their approval in box office ticket sales.
Knightley and Bloom starred in two more films in the franchise, 2006’s Dead Man’s Chest and 2007’s At World’s End.
Both were panned by critics, but were big winners at the box office, with Dead Man’s Chest earning more than $1 billion and At World’s End coming in close with more than $961 million.
The attention from the film resulted in a lot of attention on Knightley’s appearance, including her thinness and she was accused in the media of having an eating disorder. She revealed in 2018 she had been treated for post-traumatic stress.
‘In that classic trauma way I don’t remember it,’ she told the outlet.
Curse of the Black Pearl starring Knightley, Bloom and Johnny Depp made more than $654 million worldwide. The sequel Dead Man’s Chest earned more than $1 billion and At World’s End pulled in more than $961 million
The Black Doves star, 39, spoke about the effect working on the franchise had on her career, telling The Times the franchise ‘was making and breaking’ her at the same time (Pictured in New York City in December 2024)
‘I was seen as s— because of them,’ she explained, ‘and yet because they did so well, I was given the opportunity to do the films that I ended up getting Oscar nominations for,’ she told the outlet
‘There’s been a complete delete, and then some things will come up, and I’ll suddenly have a very bodily memory of it because, ultimately, it’s public shaming, isn’t it? It’s obviously part of my psyche, given how young I was when it happened. I’ve been made around it.’
Bloom received no such scrutiny, but declined to appear in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Strange Tides, because he wanted to pursue other opportunities.
Still, he isn’t closing the door on other opportunities to sail the high seas.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has revealed he has two more Pirates projects in the pipeline, including a Margot Robbie lead film with a script from Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson.
‘I definitely understand where Keira was coming from, and she does wonderful things,’ Bloom, 48, told Entertainment Weekly. ‘I have a lot of positive takeaways’ (Pictured in Cannes, France in May 2023)
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has said he has two more projects for the Pirates franchise in the works. Bloom has said he might be open to another try at swashbuckling. ‘Listen, it was a wild and fun experience so, you know, never say never,’ he told
‘Listen, it was a wild and fun experience so, you know, never say never,’ the Screen Actors Guild Award winner admitted.
‘I have a lot of respect for that experience, and Jerry, and the whole thing. But who knows? I mean, it’s sort of one of those things I really haven’t thought about it, really.’
‘I’m happy that I got to be a part of something that feels like it’s standing the test of time, which is cool,’ he said
