Orlando Bloom has shared his thoughts on Keira Knightley’s recent remarks about how the Pirates of the Caribbean movies shaped her career.
“It was such a monumental moment in time that it almost feels like… it’s from a different lifetime now,” Bloom, 48, said about the blockbuster Disney franchise during an interview. “But it definitely was unique, and I’m always thankful for the experience.”
Bloom played Will Turner in the first three Pirates films, starring alongside Knightley as Elizabeth Swann and Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. Both he and Knightley did not return for the fourth movie, On Stranger Tides (2011), but made brief appearances in Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).
“I definitely understand Keira’s perspective, and she’s doing incredible work,” Bloom said about his former co-star’s recent comments. “I have so many positive takeaways from that time.”
In late 2024, while promoting her Netflix series Black Doves, Knightley, 39, opened up about her mixed feelings regarding the Pirates franchise.
In an interview, she explained that the series “was making and breaking” her simultaneously.
“Because of them, I was perceived negatively,” Knightley said. “But because they were so successful, I got opportunities to take on films that eventually led to Oscar nominations.”
Before landing her role in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003, Knightley, then 18, had mainly appeared in British television and small film roles.
The massive success of Pirates catapulted her to fame, and she went on to earn an Academy Award nomination for her role in Pride and Prejudice (2005).
However, the Pirates sequels received harsh criticism from reviewers.
“They were the most successful films I’ll ever be part of, and yet they also played a role in my public downfall,” Knightley shared. “So, they hold a very conflicted place in my mind.”
