The Dark Side of Fame
Keira Knightley, a renowned actress, has opened up about the intense harassment she faced from paparazzi during the height of her fame as a teenager. The constant scrutiny and sexist remarks took a toll on her mental health, making her question her own sanity at times.
Rising to Stardom
Knightley’s rise to fame coincided with that of many other young female celebrities, who often found themselves at the receiving end of demeaning tabloid coverage. This led to a plethora of mental health and substance abuse issues among them. The actress recalled the overwhelming attention she received, stating that she would wake up to find 10 men standing outside her front door, a situation that persisted for about five years.
The Paparazzi’s Tactics
When asked about the tactics employed by paparazzi to get a reaction out of her, Knightley revealed that they would often shout misogynistic epithets, such as "whore" and "bitch." The situation would escalate when she was accompanied by someone, as the paparazzi would try to provoke them into reacting violently. This would result in the paparazzi suing them and getting even more money for pictures of the actress involved in an accident or other compromising situations.
Outsmarting the Paparazzi
To evade the constant surveillance, Knightley would commute between two apartments. However, even this strategy was eventually compromised when some paparazzi rented an apartment across from hers, ensuring that she could not use it without being discovered. The actress’s father praised her ability to outmaneuver the paparazzi, joking that she should work for the CIA. Knightley described the experience as a "physically feeling" that made her hypervigilant, constantly wondering if she was being followed.
Fighting Back
At one point, Knightley opted for "passive resistance" by wearing identical clothes every day, making it impossible for the paparazzi to get an interesting shot. She even went to the extent of giving away all her other clothes, ensuring that she would not be tempted to change her outfit. If she was followed, she would stop moving and stand still, sometimes for hours, refusing to give the paparazzi the satisfaction of getting a reaction out of her.
Taking a Break
After years of intense scrutiny, Knightley took a break from Hollywood and traveled, miraculously managing to keep a low profile. She later returned to acting, taking on smaller projects and stage roles. Currently, she can be seen in the Netflix thriller "The Woman in Cabin 10" and is filming the second season of "The Essex Serpent" for the streaming platform.
