Line #70 Creator/KeiraKnightley


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/keira-knightley-pic.jpg]]
2
3	->''"Apparently on the Internet I'm a tomboy beanpole? I can't use a computer, so maybe I'm a bit out of the loop. I don't know whether to be flattered or not flattered. The beanpole bit, is that good? Can you be a sexy beanpole?"''
4
5	Keira Christina Knightley [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever OBE]] (born March 26, 1985) is a British actress who became subject to [[StarMakingRole international recognition]] for her roles in ''Film/BendItLikeBeckham'' (2002) and ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' (2003), followed by two sequels. She has since starred in a number of feature films, theater productions, and modeling campaigns.
6
7	Knightley's first role was in ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ThePhantomMenace'' playing Padme Amidala's handmaiden decoy Sabé. It also helped that she has a strong resemblance to Creator/NataliePortman.
8
9	Knightley oftentimes stars in {{period piece}}s, playing a young woman [[ComingOfAgeStory approaching adulthood]], usually the SpiritedYoungLady or RebelliousPrincess. She married James Righton of the London-based band {{Music/Klaxons}} in May 2013, and gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Edie, in 2015. They had another daughter named Delilah in 2019.
10	----
11	!!Roles Of Note:
12	* ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' (1999) as Sabé
13	* ''Film/PrincessOfThieves'' (2001)
14	* ''Film/TheHole'' (2001) as Frankie
15	* ''Film/BendItLikeBeckham'' (2002) as Jules
16	* ''Film/LoveActually'' (2003) as Juliet
17	* ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' as Elizabeth Swann:
18	** ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'' (2003)
19	** ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest'' (2006)
20	** ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'' (2007)
21	** ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMenTellNoTales'' (2017)
22	* ''Film/{{King Arthur\|2004}}'' (2004) as Guinevere
23	* ''Film/{{Domino\|2005}}'' (2005) as Domino Harvey
24	* ''Film/TheJacket'' (2005) as Jackie Price
25	* ''Film/{{Pride and Prejudice\|2005}}'' (2005) as Elizabeth Bennet
26	* ''Film/{{Atonement}}'' (2007) as Cecelia
27	* ''Film/TheDuchess'' (2008) as Georgiana Cavendish
28	* ''Film/TheEdgeOfLove'' (2008) as Vera
29	* ''Film/LondonBoulevard'' (2010)
30	* ''Literature/NeverLetMeGo'' (2010) as Ruth
31	* ''Film/{{Last Night\|2010}}'' (2010) as Charlotte
32	* ''Film/ADangerousMethod'' (2011) as Sabina Spielrein
33	* ''Film/SeekingAFriendForTheEndOfTheWorld'' (2012) as Penelope Lockhart
34	* ''Literature/AnnaKarenina'' (2012) as Anna Karenina
35	* ''Film/BeginAgain'' (2013)
36	* ''Film/{{Laggies}}'' (2014)
37	* ''Film/JackRyanShadowRecruit'' (2014)
38	* ''Film/TheImitationGame'' (2014)
39	* ''Film/{{Everest\|2015}}'' (2015)
40	* ''Film/CollateralBeauty'' (2016)
41	* ''Film/TheNutcrackerAndTheFourRealms'' (2018)
42	* ''Film/{{Colette}}'' (2018)
43	* ''Film/OfficialSecrets'' (2019)
44	* ''Film/{{Silent Night\|2021}}'' (2021)
45	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Charlotte\|2021}}'' (2021) as Charlotte Salomon (voice)
46	----
47	!!Associated Tropes:
48	* BritishTeeth: Her crooked teeth and underbite are among her defining characteristics. They don't make her any less attractive, though.
49	* CastingGag: She and Mathew Macfayden play brother and sister in ''Literature/AnnaKarenina''. They had played Lizzie and Darcy in ''Film/PrideAndPrejudice2005'', also directed by Joe Wright.
50	* CelebrityResemblance: To Creator/NataliePortman. At age twelve a then unknown Knightley was cast as Sabé, Queen Amidala's decoy in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' (1999), due to the strong resemblance between her and Portman, and it has persisted as they aged. Observers have also pointed out her similarity to Creator/WinonaRyder ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTfm8pIuPbY Keira added]] there are rare instances of being mistaken for Creator/KateWinslet or Music/BritneySpears). On ''Series/TheGrahamNortonShow'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZowEZKWmEVo Norton thought that]] her resemblance to Portman would have ruined her career because "We've got one of those already!" and Keira joked the reason it didn't was because she "grew two feet taller" and became the "stretched version"!
51	** Nick Hamm, director of ''Film/TheHole'', once described her as the younger version of Creator/JulieChristie. Fittingly, she then played Lara in a 2002 miniseries of ''Literature/DrZhivago''.
52	* CharacterTics: A pout as an unconscious gesture of concentration. ''Film/PrideAndPrejudice2005'' director Joe Wright had to ban Keira from pouting during the movie. She does it once but it's only because it was filmed by a second unit!
53	* ContractualPurity: Avoided. Despite starring in the Disney ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' franchise, she never ran into this. Possibly because in her previous projects she had already [[Film/TheHole bared her breasts (at fifteen!)]] or [[Film/BendItLikeBeckham been Mistaken For Gay]]. Notably after ''Pirates'' she did [[Film/KingArthur2004 two]] [[Film/TheJacket films]] with sex scenes and then played a bounty hunter for ''{{Film/Domino\|2005}}'' (where she also appeared topless).
54	* DyeingForYourArt:
55	** She's dyed her hair a lot for various films, alternating between varying shades of blonde and brown. She eventually confessed that constant dyeing ruined her hair and she opted to wear wigs afterwards.
56	** She also cut her hair completely short to play the titular heroine in ''{{Film/Domino\|2005}}''.
57	* EnforcedMethodActing: Keira joked that having food poisoning right before her audition for ''Film/TheJacket'' helped land her the part of a sickly alcoholic.
58	* FakeNationality:
59	** FakeAmerican: In ''Film/TheJacket'', ''Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit'' and ''Laggies''.
60	** FakeRussian: Three times: she played Lara in the 2002 TV adaptation of ''Film/DoctorZhivago'', the Russian Jewish psychoanalyst Sabina Spielrein in the 2011 movie ''Film/ADangerousMethod'', and the most famous example in ''Film/AnnaKarenina''.
61	** She plays a New Zealander in ''Film/Everest2015''.
62	* FunnyCharacterBoringActor: Inverted. She has a recognisable image as a pouting {{Tsundere}} in various {{Costume Drama}}s. In real life she's "a real scruff" and hilarious in interviews. On ''Series/TheGrahamNortonShow'' she and Creator/SamuelLJackson compared sex scenes, and on one of the ''Pirates'' commentaries she happily points out the one scene where her bra wasn't padded.
63	* HollywoodHypeMachine: After the success of ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'', the hype machine got behind Keira big time. Her initial blockbuster roles didn't amount to much-- ''Film/KingArthur2004'', ''Film/TheJacket'', ''{{Film/Domino\|2005}}''. But she won critical acclaim for ''Film/PrideAndPrejudice2005'' and managed to earn respect through more Joe Wright collaborations. While she does get typecast in period films, she's usually well-received and working steadily. She did take a break from larger mainstream roles after finishing the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' trilogy, admitting to suffering from PTSD and being unable to leave her house for a while.
64	* IAmVeryBritish: She sports this type of voice in a lot of her films, especially the period ones. Her real voice, not so much.
65	* MsFanservice: Has had a tendency post-''Pirates'' to go topless in just about everything. Though when she was cast in ''Domino'', she explicitly refused to bare her butt on screen.
66	* TheMuse: To director Joe Wright. They've done three films together. ''Film/PrideAndPrejudice2005'', ''Literature/{{Atonement}}'', and ''Film/AnnaKarenina''.
67	* PeriodPiece: She's appeared in many, to the point where she might even be typecast in such films. Most of her movies are set at various points in the past, ranging from 400 A.D. to the 1990s, but are usually around the 1700s or 1800s. She says she was worried about her typecasting at first, but has come to embrace it, saying she enjoys learning about history, and that there are worse things to be typecast in.
68	* PetitePride: One of the most famous. A few of her films, like ''Pirates'' and ''Film/KingArthur2004'' - as well as some of her modelling photoshoots - had some doctoring done to give a larger appearance. Her reaction is usually some variation of exasperation. A hefty portion of her commentary for the first ''Pirates'' movie consists of Keira commenting on how impressive her boobs look with an almost gleeful self-deprecation. She also cheerfully points out the one scene where she wasn't padded. Later on, for her photoshoot in ''Interview Magazine'', she agreed to a topless shot if the picture wasn't edited in any way, "because it does feel important to say it really doesn’t matter what shape you are.”
69	-->'''Jack Sparrow:''' So unless you've got a rudder and a lot of sails hidden in that bodice-- (''scans her briefly'') -- unlikely...
70	* PlayingAgainstType: Her character in ''Film/SeekingAFriendForTheEndOfTheWorld'' is a perky, [[TheDitz airheaded]] slacker in a modern day type setting. Likewise ''{{Film/Everest 2015}}'' is a small role in an ensemble cast, where she plays the concerned wife. She also plays the hidden twist villain in [[spoiler: ''Film/TheNutcrackerAndTheFourRealms'']].
71	* PlayingWithCharacterType:
72	** For a long time she was typecast as a PluckyGirl ahead of her time in various period pieces. In ''Film/TheDuchess'' she starts off as this type... and then runs into the sexist and oppressive laws of the time.
73	** She invoked this in ''{{Literature/Atonement}}'' too, as Joe Wright had wanted her to play the adult Briony. Having had enough of "coming of age ladies", Keira chose to play Cecilia instead.
74	* ProductionPosse: She starred in three Joe Wright films - ''Film/PrideAndPrejudice2005'', ''{{Film/Atonement}}'' and ''Film/AnnaKarenina''. Amusingly she doesn't star in ''{{Film/Pan}}'' - but she had played Tinker Bell in ''{{Series/Neverland}}''.
75	* RealLifeWritesTheHairstyle:
76	** She had to wear extensions when filming ''Curse of the Black Pearl'', as she was still growing her hair out from ''Film/BendItLikeBeckham''. And likewise the two sequels were filmed back to back right after she'd done ''Domino'', where her hair was also short, so she had to wear extensions there too.
77	** She also wore a wig for ''Film/PrideAndPrejudice2005'' because she was filming ''Domino'' at the same time.
78	** She wears a large hat in ''Film/LoveActually'' for the scene where Juliet visits Mark because she had "a massive spot" on her forehead and that was the easiest way to cover it.
79	* RomanceOnTheSet: Her and Rupert Friend while on the set of ''Pride And Prejudice'' (2005).
80	* SeparatedAtBirthCasting: She played Creator/NataliePortman's decoy bodyguard in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''. Reportedly, when both actors were in full makeup, not even their mothers could tell which was which. In fairness, a lot of those scenes involved ImpossiblyCoolClothes and UncannyValleyMakeup for whichever one was dressed up as queen; still, [[http://natalieportman.com/gallery2/g2data/albums/Movies/TPM/production-stills/decoy01.jpg you be the judge]]. She also apparently doubled for Padmé in some scenes where Natalie wasn't available.
81	* SugarWiki/SheReallyCanAct: While often seen as good for her roles, ''The Imitation Game'' is where a lot of people took a step back and realized she could hold her own.
82	* ShipperOnDeck: When she heard that people shipped Jules and Jess of ''Film/BendItLikeBeckham'', she said "fuck yeah", and joked that there should be a sequel where they get together.
83	* StarMakingRole: ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'' got her an instant amount of fame, and ''Film/PrideAndPrejudice2005'' made her a critical darling.
84	* TimeShiftedActor: She plays the young version of Emily Mortimer in ''Coming Home''.
85	* ThoseTwoActors: Appeared with Creator/MatthewMacfadyen in ''Film/PrideAndPrejudice2005'', ''Film/AnnaKarenina'', and ''Film/TheNutcrackerAndTheFourRealms''.
86	* TypeCasting: Need a SpiritedYoungLady ahead of her time in a costume drama? Keira is your girl. If it's not a period drama, she's normally a Type A {{Tsundere}}.
87	* UnderageCasting: Early on in her career, due to being YoungerThanTheyLook, she played characters who were older than she was. In ''Film/LoveActually'' for example, she was eighteen, playing the love interest of the twenty-nine-year-old Creator/ChiwetelEjiofor and the thirty-three-year-old Creator/AndrewLincoln. Even in ''Film/TheHole'' she was fifteen playing someone a couple of years older than she was.
88	* UnbuiltCastingType: Her breakout role as Elizabeth Swann in some ways feels like a parody of her future typecasting as a SpiritedYoungLady ahead of her time, since Elizabeth is a ProperLady who's fascinated with pirates, and the comedy is mined from her having to be surrounded by them, and she becomes an ActionGirl by the sequels, even becoming Pirate King purely on a fluke.
89	* WhatCouldHaveBeen: She was attached to star in and produce a miniseries called ''Series/TheEssexSerpent'' for Creator/AppleTVPlus before she dropped out in the fall of 2020. She couldn't figure out a workable childcare situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic without being away from her kids for five months or bringing them with her to the production bubble. She was replaced in the lead role by Creator/ClaireDanes.
90	* YoungerThanTheyLook: She was only seventeen in ''Film/LoveActually'' and ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'' and looked like she was in her mid twenties. It has now gone the other way around where she's in her late thirties but looks a good ten years younger.

Context Creator / KeiraKnightley