Keira Knightley Opens Up About Early Career Trauma, Public Scrutiny, and Overcoming Fame’s Dark Side

Keira Knightley, 39, has candidly reflected on the “public shaming” and “classic trauma” she endured during the early days of her career, particularly related to relentless scrutiny of her weight. In an interview with The Times published on November 23, the Pride & Prejudice actress shared her experiences with rumors and accusations of an eating disorder that plagued her early rise to fame.

Knightley explained that while she knew she didn’t have an eating disorder because she was eating normally, the constant accusations were deeply upsetting. “I knew I wasn’t [dealing with an eating disorder]. I knew I was eating,” she said, describing the experience as “traumatic.”

“In that classic trauma way, I don’t remember it,” 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?”

The actress recalled one particularly striking moment during a press tour in 2004 when fellow actress Mary-Kate Olsen entered a rehabilitation program for anorexia. Rather than offering support, the media ridiculed Olsen’s decision. “I remember being asked about it on a press tour like it was a joke,” Knightley said. “She was meant to be shamed for seeking help for anorexia. That made me really emotional. That’s not even about me, it’s about her. I still can’t bear it.”

Knightley credits her strong support system for helping her navigate the challenges of fame. “The unbelievably lucky thing was I come from an incredibly loving background, and I always had really nice boyfriends. I had lovely, lovely boyfriends,” she shared.

Despite this, the toll of her early success was immense. On The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast in 2018, Knightley revealed she experienced a “mental breakdown” at age 22 and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. “I felt pretty much like I didn’t exist and I was this weird creature with this weird face that people seemed to respond to in quite an extreme way,” she said.

In a 2023 Harper’s Bazaar UK interview, Knightley reflected on her discomfort with how fame and roles like Pirates of the Caribbean portrayed her. “There’s a funny place where women are meant to sit, publicly, and I never felt comfortable with that,” she said, adding that roles afterward focused on breaking free from the constraints of being “an object of everybody’s lust.”

Knightley’s reflections highlight the personal challenges behind her celebrated career, shedding light on the resilience required to navigate fame at such a young age.