Surprising Age Gaps in Films and TV That We Can't Ignore

Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom

The movie *Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl* began filming in 2002, with Keira Knightley just seventeen years old. During production, she filmed all her scenes alongside Orlando Bloom, who was twenty-five at the time. This means Bloom shared romantic scenes with a teenager, which raises eyebrows today. While Knightley turned eighteen by the movie’s 2003 release, the age difference still feels uncomfortable to many viewers

Hollywood has a long history of overlooking age gaps in romantic pairings, and this example is just one of many. Why does this keep happening? It’s a question worth asking as the industry continues to normalize such dynamics. From classic films to modern blockbusters, this trend persists, leaving audiences to wonder about the standards behind the scenes. Stories like this remind us how common, yet strange, these practices remain in the world of entertainment.