As we look ahead to the possible release of Pirates of the Caribbean 6, we recently took stock of the myths and treasures we'd like to see in this sequel to the saga, as well as the characters likely to return. According to recent statements from Keira Knightley, who plays Elizabeth Swann in the franchise, there is little chance that she will return...
Pirates of the Caribbean, a saga
Not all the actors in Pirates of the Caribbean had the same experience filming the Disney saga. While Orlando Bloom is reportedly keen to return as Will Turner for the sequel, Johnny Depp has been at odds with the studios for years (the latter having dropped him during his trial against Amber Heard). As for Keira Knightley, who plays Elizabeth Swann, she has bad memories of the terrible press reviews following the release of The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003. During an interview with Rosamund Pike, the actress discussed the difficulty of receiving such harsh criticism at such a young age.
Pirates of the Caribbean had already been released, but I think that in the public's mind, I was considered a very bad actress. But I had phenomenal success with Pirates. And I think [Pride and Prejudice] was the first film to be phenomenally successful, but also critically acclaimed. I remember it came out the same year, maybe around the same time as Pirates 2. I got the worst reviews ever for that movie, and I got an Oscar nomination at the same time—in my 21-year-old mind, it was pretty confusing.
Reviews
Yet, from what we can find on the internet today about American reviews of the time, there aren't only negative comments about the actress. On the unconvinced side, the Chicago Sun-Times pointed out that Knightley lacks the "fire" to explain why the characters would risk their lives for her. Cinema Sight described Knightley's performance as "shallow" and said her performance was neither interesting nor particularly good, and that she failed to portray a strong heroine. Empire Magazine mentions that Keira Knightley, while pretty, seems to "flourish" more in action scenes than in romantic moments - the site suggests a certain stiffness in acting as the explanation.
For The Guardian, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom are "fairly bland" in their respective roles and lack memorable lines - unlike Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, and Jack Davenport, who are exuberant. However, other media outlets such as the BBC describe Keira Knightley as an "effortlessly charismatic" actress. But as the actress points out, when you're so young and lacking self-confidence, you mostly remember the negative reviews, without focusing on the positive ones. Having suffered greatly from the reception given to The Curse of the Black Pearl, which has become a cult film over the years, Keira Knightley will probably never return to the saga... But at Disney, nothing is impossible!
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