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Keira Knightley Says Paparazzi Abuse Drove Her to 'Go Mad' and Quit Hollywood

In a new Times interview, she recalls escaping in her early twenties by traveling Europe incognito with her family's backing.

Overview

  • She says about 10 photographers staked out her front door daily and stayed for roughly five years.
  • She recounts extreme tactics, including renting the apartment opposite her home and even forcing cars off roads to profit from crash photos.
  • She describes being targeted with slurs such as “whore” or “slut” to bait companions into altercations that could lead to lawsuits.
  • She adopted countermeasures like wearing identical outfits and standing stock still for hours to make images less valuable.
  • After her break, she returned on her terms, favoring smaller and stage projects while taking recent Netflix roles including The Woman in Cabin 10 and 2024’s Black Doves, which brought a Golden Globe nomination.