Keira Knightley Opens Up About Paparazzi Harassment and Her Five-Hour Standstill Protest

Keira Knightley has opened up about the extreme pressure she faced from paparazzi during her rise to fame in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise.

Speaking to The Times of London, the actress described being harassed relentlessly, with photographers shouting insults like “w***” and “sl***” to provoke reactions from her and those around her.

She explained, “They were trying to get a reaction out of them — provoking people into punching them, so they could sue.” Knightley said the aggressive behavior often led to dangerous situations, including car incidents designed to capture sensational photographs.

To cope, Knightley adopted strict survival tactics. She wore the same outfits daily, including three pairs of identical jeans, a striped T-shirt, and boots, giving away the rest of her wardrobe.

She also learned to stand completely still when followed, sometimes for hours at a time. “One day, I stood there for five hours. If you’re still there, I’m not going. I’m not going to move,” she said. Her goal was to make the photos boring and unmarketable to tabloid magazines.

The harassment became so overwhelming that Knightley considered quitting acting. Her family supported her decision, encouraging her to escape the public eye by traveling incognito across Europe.

“Museums, trains… no one expects to see you there. 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 recalled.

Knightley was only 18 when she became an international star with Disney’s blockbuster series. She admitted the early fame came with a heavy cost. “It was a brutal time to be a young woman in the public eye,” she said, adding that she was often blamed for the unwanted attention she received.

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