Keira Knightley

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Keira Knightley

OBE

Knightley at the 2011 Venice Film Festival

Born Keira Christina Knightley

26 March 1985 (age 37)

London, England

Teddington School
Education

Esher College

Occupation Actress

Years active 1993–present

Works Full list

 James Righton

Spouse(s)
 

(m. 2013)

Children 2

Parents Will Knightley (father)

Sharman Macdonald (mother)

Awards Full list

Keira Christina Righton  OBE (/ˈkɪərə ˈnaɪtli/; née Knightley, born 26 March 1985) is an

[1]

English actress.  Known for her work in both independent films and blockbusters,

[2]

particularly period dramas, she has received several accolades, including nominations

for two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, and a Laurence Olivier
Award. In 2018, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for
her services to drama and charity. [3]

Born in London to actors Will Knightley and Sharman Macdonald, Knightley obtained an

agent at age six and initially worked in commercials and television films. She had a
minor role as Sabé in the space opera Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom
Menace (1999). Her breakthrough came when she portrayed a tomboy footballer in the
sports film Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and achieved global stardom for
playing Elizabeth Swann in the fantasy series Pirates of the Caribbean, beginning in
2003. She appeared in the romantic comedy Love Actually (2003) and was labelled a
promising teen star.
For her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in the period romance Pride & Prejudice (2005),
Knightley was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She starred in a
number of more period pieces, portraying a complex love interest in Atonement (2007),
tastemaker Georgiana Cavendish in The Duchess (2008), and the titular socialite
in Anna Karenina (2012). She forayed into contemporary dramas, appearing as an
aspiring musician in Begin Again (2013) and a medical student in Jack Ryan: Shadow
Recruit (2014). Knightley returned to historical films playing Joan Clarke in The Imitation
Game (2014), earning her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting
Actress, and starred as the eponymous writer in Colette (2018).
On stage Knightley has appeared in two West End productions: The Misanthrope in
2009, which earned her an Olivier Award nomination, and The Children's Hour in 2011.
She also starred as the eponymous heroine in the 2015 Broadway production
of Thérèse Raquin. Knightley is known for her outspoken stance on social issues and
has worked extensively with Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Comic Relief. She is
married to musician James Righton and they have two daughters.

Contents

 1Early life and education

 2Career
 o 2.11993–2002: Career beginnings and breakthrough

o 2.22003–2007: Pirates of the Caribbean and worldwide recognition

o 2.32008–2013: Independent films and stage work

o 2.42014–present: Biographical and political roles

 2.4.1Upcoming projects

 3Public image

 4Other ventures

o 4.1Advocacy and philanthropy

o 4.2Fashion endorsements

 5Personal life

 6Acting credits and awards

 7Further reading

 8See also

 9References

 10External links

Early life and education[edit]

Keira Christina Knightley was born on 26 March 1985 in the Teddington suburb of
London, to stage actors Will Knightley and Sharman Macdonald.  She was meant to be [4]

named "Kiera", the anglicised form of "Kira", after Kira Ivanova, whom her father
admired; however, Macdonald misspelled the name when she registered her daughter's
birth certificate, writing the e before the i.  Her father is English and her mother is of [5]

Scottish and Welsh descent.  Knightley has an older brother, Caleb.  Macdonald worked
[6] [7]

as a playwright after her acting career came to an end. Knightley's parents encountered

substantial financial difficulties following the birth of her brother;  her father, a "middling" [8]

actor, agreed to a second child only if her mother sold a script first. However, her
parents' varying degrees of success did not deter Knightley's curiosity about the
profession.  Macdonald introduced her own children to theatre and ballet very early.
[9]

 This inspired Knightley's interest in acting.

[10] [11]

Knightley attended Teddington School.  She was diagnosed with dyslexia at age six, [12]

but by the time she was eleven, with her parents' support, she says, "they deemed me
to have got over it sufficiently." She is still a slow reader and cannot read out loud.
 Knightley has said she was "single-minded about acting".  At age three, she requested
[13] [14]

to get an agent like her parents and got one at six. This led to her taking a number of
small parts in television dramas.  She acted in a number of local amateur productions,
[15]

which included After Juliet, written by her mother, and United States, written by her
drama teacher. Knightley began studying her A-Levels at Esher College, but left after a
year to pursue an acting career.  Her mother's friends encouraged her to go to drama
[16]

school, which she declined for financial and professional reasons. [17]

Career[edit]
1993–2002: Career beginnings and breakthrough[edit]
Knightley's costume from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) on display at the Detroit Institute of Arts
After getting an agent at age six, Knightley began working in commercials and small
television roles. Her first onscreen appearance was in the 1993 Screen One television
episode titled "Royal Celebration". She then played Natasha Jordan, a young girl whose
mother is involved in an extramarital affair, in the romantic drama A Village
Affair (1995). After appearing in a spate of television films through the mid-to-late
1990s, including Innocent Lies (1995), The Treasure Seekers (1996), Coming
Home (1998), and Oliver Twist (1999),  Knightley landed the role of Sabé, Padmé
[18]

Amidala's handmaiden and decoy, in the 1999 science fiction blockbuster Star Wars:

Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Her dialogue was dubbed over by Natalie Portman,
who played Padmé. Knightley was cast in the role because of her close resemblance to
Portman; even the two actresses' mothers had difficulty telling their daughters apart
when they were in full make-up. [19]

In her first major role, the 2001 Walt Disney Productions feature film Princess of

Thieves, Knightley played the daughter of Robin Hood. In preparation for the film, she
trained for several weeks in archery, fencing, and horse riding.  Concurrently, she
[20]

appeared in The Hole, a thriller that received a direct-to-video release in the US. The
film's director Nick Hamm described her as "a young version of Julie Christie".
 Knightley also took on the role of Lara Antipova in the 2002 miniseries adaptation
[21]

of Doctor Zhivago, to positive reviews and high ratings.  In the same year, Knightley
[22]

starred as a pregnant drug addict in Gillies MacKinnon's drama film Pure. Co-

starring Molly Parker and Harry Eden, the film had its world premiere at the 2002
Toronto International Film Festival.  In a retrospect review for AboutFilm.com, Carlo
[23]

Cavagna noted Knightley's screen presence and wrote that "[although Knightley]
doesn't have half of Parker's ability [...] she has spunk and grit [and] shines brightly
in Pure". [24]

Knightley landed a breakthrough role when she starred in Gurinder Chadha's sports
comedy film Bend It Like Beckham, which was a box office hit in the U.K and U.S.
 Knightley portrayed Jules, a tomboy football player struggling against social norms
[25]

who convinces her friend to pursue the sport.  The film surprised critics who were
[26]

laudatory of its "charming" and "inspiring" nature, social context and the cast's
performances.  Knightley and her co-star Parminder Nagra attracted international
[27]

attention for their performances;  critic James Berardinelli, who was largely laudatory of
[28]

the film and the "energetic and likable" cast, noted that Knightley and Nagra brought "a
lot of spirit to their instantly likable characters".  To prepare for their roles, they
[29]

underwent three months of extensive football training under the English football
coach Simon Clifford. Knightley was initially skeptical of the project: in an interview
with Tracy Smith she said, "I remember telling friends I was doing this girls' soccer
movie [...] And nobody thought that it was gonna be any good." [30]

2003–2007: Pirates of the Caribbean and worldwide recognition[edit]

Knightley portrayed the role of Elizabeth Swann, in the 2003
American fantasy swashbuckler film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black
Pearl.  The film, based on the Disney theme park attraction, revolves around infamous
[31]

buccaneer Jack Sparrow and blacksmith Will Turner rescuing Swann, in possession of

a cursed golden medallion, from 18th-century pirates.  Producers Jerry
[32]

Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski chose Knightley for her "indescribable quality [...]

reminiscent of motion picture stars from Hollywood's heyday."  Knightley [33]

underestimated the stunt work required and believed she'd primarily be sitting in

carriages; at one point during filming, she stood for two days on a plank and rejected
a stunt double's offer to jump off the platform for the scene.  Despite boasting the [33][34]

names of stars like Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom and a $135 million

budget, Pirates was expected to fail at the box office.  Knightley herself was not [35]

optimistic about its prospects.  The film opened at number one on the box office, and
[36]

became one of the highest-grossing releases of the year, with worldwide revenues of
$654 million.  Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times compared Knightley's "strident and
[37]

confident" physical assurance to Nicole Kidman, while Keith Phipps of The A.V.
Club branded her and Bloom as appealing leads. [38][39]

Also in 2003, Knightley appeared in Richard Curtis's Christmas-themed romantic

comedy Love Actually, featuring an ensemble cast, which included her childhood
idol Emma Thompson.  Knightley portrays Juliet, a woman whose fiancée's best man is
[40][41]

secretly in love with her.  Peter Travers of Rolling Stone criticised the waste of
[42]

Knightley's talent in a "nothing" role,  while Megan Conner of The Guardian remarked [43]

that the film turned Knightley into a household name.  Love Actually has been referred [17]

to as a modern-day Christmas classic.  Knightley believes the film's trajectory to be [44]

"extraordinary", given that its popularity resurfaced a few years after the film's release.
 Knightley's only release of 2004 was the historical film King Arthur, where she
[45]

played Guinevere, a warrior queen and the wife of the titular character.  The role [46]

required her to learn boxing, archery, and horse riding.  Critic A. O. Scott praised [40][47]

Knightley for "throw[ing] herself bodily into every scene".  Although the film received [48]

unfavourable reviews, Knightley's stature as a performer grew; she was voted by the
readers of Hello magazine as the industry's most promising teen star,  and featured [49]

in Time magazine's article, which stated that she seemed dedicated to develop herself
as a serious actor rather than a film star. [50]

Knightley attending the premiere of Pride & Prejudice at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival; the role earned Knightley her first Academy Award nomination

Knightley appeared in three films in 2005, the first of which was the psychological
thriller The Jacket, co-starring Adrien Brody.  In a mixed review for Empire, Kim [51]

Newman wrote that the role was unlike the ones she had previously taken up : "getting
out of period gear and talking American, tries to broaden her range and is arguably well-
cast".  Knightley next played the titular character in Tony Scott's French-American
[52]

action film Domino, based on the life of Domino Harvey. The film's release was delayed
on several occasions and, on its eventual release in November, it received negative
reviews and performed poorly at the box office. [53]

Knightley's most successful release of the year was Pride & Prejudice, a period drama
based on Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice.  Joe Wright selected Knightley for [54]

her tomboyish nature combined with a "lively mind" and sense of humour.  Knightley, [55]

who had admired the book from a young age,  said of her character, "The beauty[56]

of Elizabeth is that every woman who ever reads the book seems to recognise herself,
with all her faults and imperfections."  On release, the film became a huge commercial
[56]

success, with total collections of around US$120 million worldwide, and received

positive reviews from critics.  Writing for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw labeled her
[57]

performance of "beauty, delicacy, spirit and wit; in her growing lustre and confidence"
and Derek Elley of Variety regarded "luminous strength" to be reminiscent of a
young Audrey Hepburn.  Knightley earned "Best Actress in a Leading Role"
[58][59]

nominations at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards for her performance at age

20, becoming the third-youngest nominee for the latter.  Knightley's consecutive [60]

successes came with increased media scrutiny, and she later admitted to having
struggled with her mental health during this period. [61]

Knightley was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, among
other artists in 2006.  Later that year, she reprised her role as Elizabeth Swann in the
[62]

second and third productions of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. The two sequels
were conceived in 2004, with the writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio developing a story
arc that would span both films. The plot of the films see Swann buck convention to seek
adventure and become fierce pirate and fighter to match the skills of Sparrow and her
love interest, Turner.  The sequel installments allowed Knightley to train
[63]

in swordfighting, which she had sought to do since the first film.  Filming for the projects [33]

took place in 2005; the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, released in July
2006. With the worldwide collections of $1.066 billion, it became the biggest financial hit
in Knightley's career.  The third instalment in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: At
[64]

World's End, was released in May, the following year.  A.O Scott labeled Knightley's [65]

performance as "a vision of imperial British pluckiness, with an intriguing dash of

romantic recklessness that surfaces toward the end". [66]

Knightley's continued association with period dramas yielded varying results, as seen
with two of her 2007 releases, François Girard's Silk, and Joe Wright's Atonement, the
feature film adaptations of the novels by Alessandro Baricco and Ian
McEwan respectively.  The former project failed at the box office, while the latter
[67]

became a critical and commercial success. Knightley portrayed Cecilia Tallis, the elder
of the two Tallis sisters, who struggles with a wartime romance with her love interest,
played by James McAvoy.  She admitted that the pacing on the smaller, more intimate
[68]

film was an adjustment compared to the Pirates franchise.  In preparing for the film, [69]

Knightley studied the novel as well as the "naturalism" of the performance as seen in

the films from the 1930s and 1940s, such as In Which We Serve (1942) and Brief
Encounter (1945).  She admired the multi-layered and "fascinating" nature of her
[70][69]

character's behavior.  Knightley's performance won the Empire Award for Best Actress,
[71]
  and earned her nominations for the BAFTA and the Golden Globes awards, also in the
[72]

leading actress categories.  Critic Richard Roeper, who thought the lead duo were
[73]

"superb" in their respective roles, was puzzled by their failure to receive Academy
Award nominations.  The green dress worn by Knightley during the film's climactic
[74]

scene garnered substantive press attention, and was subsequently regarded as one of
the greatest costumes in film history. [75][76][77]

2008–2013: Independent films and stage work[edit]

Knightley appeared alongside Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, and Matthew Rhys in John
Maybury's 2008 wartime drama The Edge of Love. The film had her play the role of
Vera Phillips, a childhood friend of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his wife Caitlin
Macnamara. Knightley wrote the script with her mother, Sharman Macdonald, with
Macnamara in mind.  After Knightley signed on, her character's role was increased with
[78]

the film focusing on her romance with a British soldier.  Knightley connected to Vera's [78]

quietness, and described her as "tragic and beautiful".  She based her performance [78]

on Marlene Dietrich, and was to mime to her prerecorded voice, before being told by
Maybury to sing live. Knightley initially felt embarrassed to do so, saying she "[shook]
like a leaf" but eventually went through with the plan.  Upon release, the film became a [78]

moderate critical and commercial success.  Knightley's performance and singing [79]

abilities were praised;The Independent noted that Knightley "gives Vera an

independence and complexity that's aeons ahead", while the Los Angeles Times wrote
"the film belongs to the women, with Knightley going from strength to strength (and
showing she can sing!)". [80]

Knightley garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish in The Duchess (2008)

Knightley then starred as the 18th-century English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish,

Duchess of Devonshire in Saul Dibb's period drama The Duchess (2008), based on the
best-selling biographical novel, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda
Foreman.  The film tells the story of Georgiana's rise in society as a sociopolitical
[81]

tastemaker after her marriage disintegrates.  The script Knightley was sent was covered [82]

in "huge white ostrich feathers" and a gold ribbon.  Gabrielle Tana, the film's producer, [83]
stated Knightley "brought an instinctive understanding" of such aspects of Georgiana's
life as a celebrity from her own experiences.  Knightley was attracted to her character's
[84]

strength and status as a political influence and fashion prowess, while being inwardly
vulnerable and isolated.  Simon Crooke of Empire described her performance as "an
[83]

enigmatic, free-spirited turn and a role she'll be remembered for, probably her best role
to date in a film not directed by Joe Wright."  The following year, she was nominated for
[85]

a British Independent Film Award for Best Actress.  A film adaptation of William
[86]

Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear set to star Knightley and Anthony Hopkins was

cancelled due to recession. [87]

Knightley made her West End debut with Martin Crimp's version of Molière's

comedy The Misanthrope. Starring Knightley, Damian Lewis, Tara Fitzgerald,
and Dominic Rowan, the play was staged at the Comedy Theatre in December 2009.
She portrayed Jennifer, a shallow, amorous, and vulnerable American film star who is
courted by an analytical and veracious playwright.  Knightley chose the role as she felt
[88]

that "if I don't do theatre right now, I think I'm going to start being too terrified to do it"
and described the production as an "extraordinary and incredibly fulfilling" experience,
she was sceptical of her performance.  Paul Taylor of The Independent remarked that
[89]

Knightley was "not only strikingly convincing, but, at times, rather thrilling in its satiric
aplomb".  However, The Guardian's Michael Billington noted that due to the nature of
[90]

the role, "one could say that she is not unduly stretched".  In recognition of her theatre
[91]

debut, Knightley was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a
Supporting Role and an Evening Standard Award. [92]

Knightley began the new decade with three films; she remarked that her work during
this period helped her "empathise with people or with situations that I don't necessarily
find it easy to empathise with".  Two of the productions, Massy Tadjedin's romantic
[93]

drama Last Night and William Monahan's crime noir film London Boulevard opened to

mixed responses from critics and rank among the lowest-grossing films in Knightley's
career.  Knightley's other release, Never Let Me Go, an adaptation of Kazuo
[94][64]

Ishiguro's novel of the same name fared better at the box office and received positive
reviews. Knightley described the script as unique, one that made the reader think.  Co- [93]

starring Andrew Garfield and Carey Mulligan, Knightley played Ruth, one of three

graduates of an autocratic boarding school that discovers their fates in a dystopia.  She [95][96]

appeared in a video installation by artist Stuart Pearson Wright titled Maze. [97]

Knightley attending the premiere of A Dangerous Method at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

Knightley starred in a 2011 revival of The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman at

the Comedy Theatre in London.  She portrayed Karen Wright, an engaged [98]

schoolteacher accused of lesbianism in 1934.  Ben Brantley of the New York [99]

Times commented that her performance showed an "intensity" and "credible fierceness"

within the outdated material.  Knightley's only film of 2011 was David Cronenberg's
[99]

historical drama A Dangerous Method, co-starring Viggo Mortensen, Michael

Fassbender, and Vincent Cassel. Based on writer Christopher Hampton's 2002 stage
play The Talking Cure and set on the eve of World War I, the film depicts the turbulent
relationships between fledgling psychiatrist Carl Jung, his mentor Sigmund
Freud and Sabina Spielrein. Knightley portrayed Spielrein, the troubled but beautiful
young psychoanalyst who comes between Jung and Freud.  Knightley spent four [100]

months reading and discussing her character's behavior with psychologists to prepare
for the role.  She appreciated the depth and variety of her character arc, which she
[101][102]

viewed as rare for female roles.  The film premiered at the 68th Venice International
[103]

Film Festival to a positive reception, while Knightley earned generally favourable

reviews by critics, with Andrew O'Hehir of Salon hailing her "the real star of this film". [104]

Knightley co-starred with Steve Carell in the 2012 comedy drama Seeking a Friend for
the End of the World, which was critically panned."  Later that year, she reunited with [105][106]

director Joe Wright to film their third production, Anna Karenina, in which she starred as
the title character.  She deemed this collaboration the most important of her career.
[107] [108]

 Knightley viewed that her character's complex "moral culpability" was in question, but
[109]

attracted compassion.  Knightley received positive reviews for her performance,

[109]

prompting early Oscar buzz.  Batsy Sharky of the Los Angeles Times wrote that
[110]

Knightley "puts hearts and anguish on the line in trying to bring an emotional reality".
 The 2013 Toronto International Film Festival saw the premiere of Knightley's first
[111]

musical film Begin Again with Mark Ruffalo. Directed by John Carney, the film had its
theatrical release in 2014. The Guardian found Knightley and Ruffalo to be "nicely
natural as the increasingly idealistic musos".  Carney later repeatedly criticised [112]

Knightley's performance in the film, saying she was not convincing enough in portraying
a singer-songwriter and derogatorily referred to her as a "model".  He later apologised [113]

to her via Twitter for his comments.  Knightley later remarked that music "never sinks
[114]
in" for her, and she is more interested in books and drama.  Later that year, she [115]

appeared in Karl Lagerfeld's short period film Once Upon a Time ... [116]

2014–present: Biographical and political roles[edit]

In July 2014, Knightley expressed that she had reached the end of the first stage of her
career, express the desire to depart from previous "neurotic" roles."  2014 began for [115]

Knightley with the spy thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, the fifth installment in the film
series, alongside Chris Pine.  She portrays Dr. Cathy Muller, Ryan's eventual wife.
[117]

Knightley sought to do a lighter film than her previous work, looked forward to working
with director Kenneth Branagh.  The film received mixed critical reviews nonetheless[118]

strong box-office response.  Knightley's next film Laggies, premiered at the 2014

[119]

Sundance Film Festival.  A romantic comedy also starring Chloë Grace

[120]

Moretz and Sam Rockwell, the film follows the life of Megan, played by Knightley, a 28-
year-old overeducated underachiever going through a quarter-life crisis. Knightley
empathized with her character's delayed maturity and appreciated the film's telling from
a female perspective.  Laggies opened to mostly positive reviews from critics, with
[121]

Knightley's performance praised by critics.  Inkoo Kaang of TheWrap referred to her as [122]

a "loose-limbed revelation" and lauded her "delightfully uncouth" performance. [123]

The film was followed by her appearance in Morten Tyldum's historical drama The
Imitation Game, a film based on the life of British mathematician Alan Turing, played
by Benedict Cumberbatch. Knightley portrayed cryptanalyst and numismatist Joan
Clarke, who decrypted German intelligence codes for the British government during
World War II with Turing.  Knightley researched interviews with Clarke, and sought to
[124]

keep her "upper-class quality", drawing on the depth of her emotions and protectiveness
of Turing from the script.  The Imitation Game became a critical and commercial
[125]

success grossing over $233.6 million.  For her performance, Knightley received her [126]

second Academy Award and BAFTA Award nominations, and third Golden Globe

Award nomination, all for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.  Conversely, Lady Jean [124]

Forde, who worked with Clarke and Turing, felt Knightley was "nothing like" Clarke and
was "too beautiful" to play her. [127]

Knightley speaking at a BAFTA event in 2015

Knightley's sole release in 2015 was as part of the ensemble cast in the biographical
disaster film Everest. The film was based on the 1996 Mount Everest disaster with
Knightley portraying mountaineer Rob Hall's wife.  Everest opened to generally positive [128]

reviews from critics.  Variety wrote that Knightley gave a "deeply felt performance" as a
[129]

woman "haunted by the possibility" of losing her spouse.  In October 2015, Knightley [130]

made her Broadway debut playing the title role in Helen Edmundson's adaptation
of Émile Zola's Thérèse Raquin at Studio 54.  Knightly took the role after declining the [131]

project twice, as she thought herself incapable of playing the part. She found interest in
her character's "caged" circumstance, as well as her dark, active role in the play, as she
sought to depart from passive supporting roles.  Of her performance, Alexandra [132]

Villarreal of The Huffington Post wrote, "She fumes, and rages, and withdraws, and you
can watch her psychological evolution from stifled wife to impassioned mistress to
haunted murderer". [133]

In 2016, it emerged Knightley was set to star in a feature biopic about the 18th-century
Russian empress Catherine the Great, directed by Barbra Streisand, which hasn't come
into fruition.  Knightley appeared in the ensemble drama Collateral Beauty (2016),
[134]

alongside Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, and Helen Mirren.  The film was [135]

critically panned,  and earned the cast a Razzie nomination.  Despite previously stating
[136] [137]

on a number of occasions that she would never return to the Pirates of the

Caribbean series,  Knightley reprised the role of Elizabeth Swann with a cameo
[138]

appearance in 2017's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, after test
audiences repeatedly inquired about her character. [139]

Knightley starred in the biographical drama Colette as the titular French author. The film

sees Colette's social ascent in belle époque society through her provocative novels, but
is exploited by her husband, who plagiarizes her work.  Knightley believed the film [140]

connected strongly to modern-day feminism, and depicted cultural change in gender

politics. To prepare for the part, Knightley read Colette's novels, among them The
Vagabond and Chéri, and initially planned to visit her birthplace of Burgundy, France.
She found the author "inspiring", and admired her imperfections as well as her courage.
 The film, released at the Sundance Film Festival, was critically successful, with
[141]

Knightley's performance receiving acclaim.  Manohla Dargis for the New York [142]

Times praised her vibrance and "expressive physicality", and Jordan Hoffman of The
Guardian wrote that the film saw Knightley in "top form: luminous, clever, sexy and
sympathetic."  Knightley was appointed Officer of the Order of the British
[143][144]

Empire (OBE) in the 2018 Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity. [145]

The same year, she played the Sugar Plum Fairy in Disney's adaptation of The
Nutcracker, titled The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, which was critically panned. [146]

 In 2019, Knightley co-starred in The Aftermath, a film adaption of the novel by Rhidian
[147]

Brook, alongside Alexander Skarsgård.  Knightley plays Rachel, a "cold and complex" [148][149]

British army wife traumatised by her son's death by a German bomb. The film sees her
and her husband move to Germany while dealing with grief.  The film received mixed [150]

reviews.  The Boston Globe's Ty Burr praised Knightley for adding "conviction, grace,
[149][151][152]

heart, and nerve" to the film,  while Katie Walsh of the Los Angeles Times felt Knightley
[151]

and Skarsgård were too reserved.  Knightley portrayed whistleblower Katharine [152]

Gun in Official Secrets (2019),  which was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on

[153]
28 January 2019 to positive reviews.  Knightley believed the film's depiction of Iraq
[154]

War and government accountability connected with modern politics.  Writing for The [155]

Guardian, Peter Bradshaw praised Knightley's "focused, plausible and sympathetic

performance".  Gun also expressed her contentment with the film.
[156] [157]

Knightley's first role of the decade was feminist activist Sally

Alexander in Misbehaviour (2020), a film about the crowning of the first black contestant
at the 1970 Miss World competition.  The film discusses the nuances
[158][159]

of intersectionality in second wave feminism; Knightley was drawn to the political

aspects of the project.  Misbehaviour was received positively,  with Variety's Guy
[160] [161]

Lodge dubbing Knightly "likable as ever" but admitted she portrays "the least intriguing
figure".  Knightley was due to produce and star in The Essex Serpent, an Apple
[162]

TV+ adaptation of Sarah Perry's novel,  but dropped out over concerns about access
[163]

to childcare during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic.  She starred in the [164]

2021 holiday comedy Silent Night.  Keira voiced the lead role in the dramatic animated
[165]

film Charlotte, a true story about a young artist during the Holocaust. [166]

Upcoming projects [edit]

Knightley will star in an adaptation of Ann Leckie's sci-fi novel Ancillary Justice,  as well [167]

as reporter Loretta McLaughlin in the drama film Boston Strangler based on the

infamous true story of Boston Strangler murders, written and directed by Matt Ruskin. [168]