“She was the object of everybody’s lust”: Like Scarlett Johansson, Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean Co-Star Hated Being a S*x Symbol That Made Her Leave Mainstream Cinema

Johnny Depp made his head-turning debut as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean franchise film series, starting with the 2003 fantasy supernatural swashbuckler film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The actor then reprised his role in the four follow-up sequels, each grossed millions of dollars.

However, his co-star Keira Knightley, who played the role of the daughter of Governor Weather by Swann, Elizabeth Swann, once disclosed that she felt stuck playing this character. It was a golden opportunity for her to work in this massive movie at age 17, and she shot to megastardom with her extraordinary performance. Despite the fame she received depicting this role, the actress claimed that at such an early age, she felt constrained playing this lusty character on the silver screen.

Johnny Depp’s Co-star Felt Stuck Playing Her Role in Pirates of the Caribbean Film Series

Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley
Johnny Depp has played varied roles throughout his decades-long legendary career. However, his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise film series remains a fan favorite. Each sequel of this beloved franchise is packed with adventure and an intriguing plot and features a star-studded ensemble cast.

Hollywood actress Keira Knightley, who played the role of Elizabeth Swann in the series, once made a bombshell revelation, saying that she detested playing this character in the Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl movie. In a candid interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she revealed she felt stuck playing this role,
“I had quite an entrance into adult life, an extreme landing because of the experience of fame at a very early age. There’s a funny place where women are meant to sit publicly, and I never felt comfortable with that. It was a big jolt.”
Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann in The Pirates of the Caribbean
She continued,

“[Elizabeth Swann] was the object of everybody’s lust. Not that she doesn’t have a lot of fight in her. But it was interesting coming from being really tomboyish to getting projected as quite the opposite. I felt very constrained. I felt very stuck. So the roles afterward were about trying to break out of that. I didn’t have a sense of how to articulate it. It very much felt like I was caged in a thing I didn’t understand.”
Keira Knightley claimed that depicting this role was incredibly difficult as it had many drawbacks. She received massive fame for nailing this character on the silver screen. However, at the same time, she felt constrained playing this role. The actress reprised her role in only two sequels of the lucrative franchise: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End ( 2007).

After her appearance in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, the actress went on to showcase her talents and cinematic genius in the romantic drama Pride & Prejudice (2005), for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and then starred in 2007 war drama Atonement.

Keira Knightley on Working With Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley
In an interview, Keira Knightley gushed about working with her Pirates of the Caribbean film co-star Johnny Depp. The actress claimed that Depp is such a lovely star,
“He’s just great. It’s really weird because he’s a huge star in Hollywood, but he’s such a nice bloke. We’d be over at the craft services wagon, and he’d make a cup of tea, and we’d have a chat and have a giggle and do a scene then. He’s just really, really, really lovely.”
Gore Verbinski-directed Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl film boasts an A-list star ensemble cast featuring Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley.