Keira Knightley Opens Up About Paparazzi Harassment During Her Teen Stardom
In a candid interview with The Times U.K., actress Keira Knightley shared her harrowing experiences with paparazzi harassment at the peak of her teenage fame. The "Bend It Like Beckham" star recalled how photographers camped outside her home for days, shouting misogynistic slurs in a desperate attempt to provoke a reaction from her. This difficult chapter in her life mirrored the struggles faced by many young female celebrities who were often subjected to sexist and degrading media coverage, which took a toll on their mental health and led to issues like substance abuse.
Knightley reflected, “I remember waking up to find ten men outside my front door. They didn’t leave for about five years.” She candidly admitted, “Oh, I did go mad. Believe me. I went mad. I just managed to hide it.” The actress recounted the vile names the paparazzi would yell at her, such as “whore” and “slut,” particularly when she was with family or friends. They aimed to provoke reactions that could lead to confrontations, hoping to cash in on the chaos that ensued. Knightley noted, “That was the time the crashes started happening — they were forcing people off the roads, then getting even bigger money for pictures of a crashed actress.”
In an effort to evade the relentless attention, Knightley often switched between two apartments. However, this tactic was compromised when photographers rented a flat across from hers, making it impossible to leave without being seen. “My dad said, ‘You should be in the CIA,’ because I could sense when people were following me. It was a physical feeling,” she recounted. This hyper-awareness made her question her sanity, but she found reassurance in the tabloids that confirmed her suspicions, as each time she checked, there would be a photo of her, even if she hadn’t seen the paparazzi.
At one point, Knightley adopted a strategy of “passive resistance” by wearing the same outfit repeatedly and standing still to make any resulting paparazzi shots uninteresting. “I gave all my other clothes away. If I was being followed, I would just stop walking. I once stood still for five hours, thinking, ‘If you’re still there, I’m not going.’”
After a challenging period in the spotlight, the actress took a break from Hollywood to travel, astonishingly without being spotted. She returned to acting with a focus on smaller projects and theatrical performances. Currently, Knightley stars in Netflix’s thriller "The Woman in Cabin 10" and is filming the second season of the platform’s "Black Doves."
This powerful reflection on her experiences sheds light on the darker side of fame and the impact it can have on young women in the entertainment industry.
