Orlando Bloom is voicing his support for former costar Keira Knightley after she revealed that she’d struggled with the negative response surrounding her performance in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
The actor, who is setting sail with Drew Barrymore as part of MSC Cruises’ upcoming Super Bowl ad, tells Entertainment Weekly over Zoom that, despite his own positive experience, he can sympathize with Knightley and her conflicted feelings toward their seafaring franchise.
“It was such a huge moment in time that is almost like… it feels almost like another lifetime now,” Bloom explains. “But it certainly was unique and, you know, I’m always grateful. But I definitely understand where Keira was coming from, and she does wonderful things.… I have a lot of positive takeaways.”
Bloom starred as Will Turner, an altruistic blacksmith who finds himself unexpectedly charting a brand new course for adventure after his love interest Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) is kidnapped by pirates in the original 2003 film. The couple’s romance, as well as Will’s secret pirate heritage, was further explored in the franchise’s subsequent swashbuckling sequels Dead Man’s Chest, At World’s End, and Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection
In a November interview with The Times, Knightley described the films as an experience that both made her career and broke her spirit simultaneously. “I was seen as s— because of [the Pirates films], and yet because they did so well, I was given the opportunity to do the films that I ended up getting Oscar nominations for,” she recalled. “They were the most successful films I’ll ever be a part of, and they were the reason that I was taken down publicly. So they’re a very confused place in my head.”
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The franchise is also far from dead in the water — despite its fifth installment being released in 2017. Speaking with EW in May, longtime producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that there are currently two separate films in the Pirates pipeline: a reboot written by Young Woman and the Sea scribe Jeff Nathanson, and another Margot Robbie-led project penned by Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson.
Bloom is aware of Bruckheimer’s reboot. “I’ve heard he’s pretty excited about it,” he says of the producer. “It’ll be interesting to see. Jerry always brings out the big guns, as it were – pardon the pun. Cannons, I should say.”
He’s also not fully shutting Davy Jones’ locker on the idea of a potential Pirates return, either. “Listen, it was a wild and fun experience so, you know, never say never,” Bloom says. “I have a lot of respect for that experience, and Jerry, and the whole thing. But who knows? I mean, it’s sort of one of those things I really haven’t thought about it, really.”
He adds, “I’m happy that I got to be a part of something that feels like it’s standing the test of time, which is cool.”
In the meantime, Bloom is trading in the Flying Dutchman and the Black Pearl for MSC Cruises’ luxurious new flagship, MSC World America, as part of the company’s new Super Bowl campaign. In a teaser clip, the actor can be seen getting serenaded by Barrymore, who attempts to dazzle him with her rendition of Madonna’s “Holiday.”
Bloom reveals the pair hit it off straight away, and that he was especially charmed by how Barrymore, who began acting at only 11 months old, made an effort to connect with all of the kids on set, too. “She probably grew up like going, ‘This is boring. I’m on set,’ and knew what it was like,” he says. “So she was great. Really appreciate working with her. She’s wonderful.”
Bloom explains that his dry British wit and Barrymore’s humor will take center stage in the ad. “It’s a really fun little spot. It’s charming, and the banter is really pretty sweet and clever, and it emphasizes part of what I think MCS World America offers, which is a bit of like the American flair and the European style.”
MSC World America sets sail from PortMiami on Apr. 9, 2025, with the company launching cruises out of Galveston, Texas, and to Alaska later this year. To learn more about the experience, click here.
Catch the full ad during Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, Feb. 9.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source ew.com ’
