British star Keira Knightley has opened up about becoming popular overnight in her early 20s, saying she was stalked by men and the whole atmosphere around her was "violent" and "misogynistic".

Knightley, who started her career as a child artist in the 1990s, broke out with Gurinder Chadha's sports comedy film "Bend It Like Beckham" but it was her role as Elizabeth Swann in "Pirates of the Caribbean" films that made her globally popular.

During an interview with The Los Angeles Times, the 39-year-old actor said fame came at a "big cost".

"It’s very brutal to have your privacy taken away in your teenage years, early 20s, and to be put under that scrutiny at a point when you are still growing," Knightley said.

"Having said that, I wouldn’t have the financial stability or the career that I do now without that period. I had a five-year period between the age of 17 and 21-ish, and I’m never going to have that kind of success again. It totally set me up for life. Did it come at a cost? Yes, it did. It came at a big cost," she added.

Knightley, also known for projects like "Pride & Prejudice", "Atonement" and "The Duchess", said it was difficult to be a young woman in the public eye.

"I didn’t think it was OK at the time. I was very clear on it being absolutely shocking. There was an amount of gaslighting to be told by a load of men that ‘you wanted this.’ It was rape speak. You know, ‘This is what you deserve.’ It was a very violent, misogynistic atmosphere." "They very specifically meant I wanted to be stalked by men. Whether that was stalking because somebody was mentally ill, or because people were earning money from it, it felt the same to me." In the current times, Knightley said social media has a damaging effect on teenagers, especially young women.

"Ultimately, that’s what fame is — it’s being publicly shamed. A lot of teenage girls don’t survive that," she added.

Knightley's latest work is "Black Doves", a spy thriller series which came out on Netflix this month.

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