Orlando Bloom reflects on Keira Knightley's Pirates of the Caribbean criticism

Orlando Bloom has shared his views on Keira Knightley's conflicted memories of Pirates of the Caribbean.

The 48-year-old actor played Will Turner in four of the five Pirates films - while Knightley, 39, played love interest Elizabeth Swann.

But the butt-kicking, corset-wearing star of the film series doesn't have the fondest memories of her time on the high seas - and Bloom says he can understand why.

Opening up to Entertainment Weekly, the actor shared, "It was such a huge moment in time that is almost like... it feels almost like another lifetime now.

"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."

In an interview late last year, Knightly explained why she considered the Pirates film series - which catapulted her to worldwide fame - to be a double-edged sword.

She told The Times, "It's a funny thing when you have something that was making and breaking you at the same time.

"I was seen as s**t because of them, and yet because they did so well I was given the opportunity to do the films that I ended up getting Oscar nominations for."

The Pirates film franchise has made over $4.5 billion (£3.6 billion) at the box office so far with a sixth instalment in the works and plans for a spin-off.

While Knightley has firmly closed the door to returning to the franchise, Bloom has hinted he is interested in reprising his role, telling Entertainment Weekly, "Never say never."