Keira Knightley is the new cover girl of Marie Claire Australia September 2020. Inside the magazine, the beautiful British actress gives yet another bubbly, honest and fresh interview as she dishes on doing another period movie, ‘Anna Karenina’, playing a mistress in ‘A Dangerous Method’, but also on love, sexting, betrayal and jealousy.
Early this year, the 26-year-old actress has been confirmed for the lead role in Joe Wright’s ‘Anna Karenina’ adaptation. Speaking about period movies and what attracts her to this type of characters, Keira told ‘Marie Claire’ that, “It’s not the fact that they are period; it’s the great stories. And Tolstoy – you can’t say no to that if someone offers it to you.” Moreover, she admits that the costumes are pretty cool. “Yes, the costumes are fun, but I enjoy the fact that period films are pure fantasy. We don’t know what it was really like to live back then. You get to create the character from the first stitch. In a modern piece, oddly, there are restraints that don’t exist in a period film,” she says.
On cutting her hair, the ‘Atonement’ star told the magazine that, “They had asked me to cut it for a movie and I said, ‘No, you can do it with a wig.’ But then I’d been thinking about cutting it so, you know, we had a glass of champagne and we were still talking about it, then another glass, and by the third glass my hair was cut off.” Still, now she has no regrets and it is very easy to take care of a short bob. “Not at all, which is kind of amazing because I thought I would. But it’s so easy. Wash it. Go. Perfect”, Keira says.
Keira believes that betrayal is determined by the couple. “I thought women would find an emotional betrayal worse and men would consider a physical betrayal worse. But the number of guys I asked said it was the other way round. For them, to love another woman emotionally and not be physical was much worse. I didn’t think men could do emotional betrayal,” the actress says.”[Laughs] Oh no, I think they can! But I really do think it depends on the couple. It’s a both interesting and terrifying discussion, and it’s why there are so many stories about infidelity because there’s no clear answer as to why.”
When being asked about sexting, the actress seems rather confused. “I’m sorry. What about what? [Laughs] What is that? No! Is it flirting or cheating? Oh my God. I don’t have an answer for that. I didn’t even know what it was! Is that an American thing? Well, I’ve just gotten an education”, Keira replied.
The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actress doesn’t deny the fact that she was jealous, yet she thinks that this emotion is rather negative. “I think jealousy is the only emotion that has no positive side to it. I’m not saying I’ve never been jealous – of course I have – but I think if one’s intuition is based on jealousy I’d say you shouldn’t trust it”, she told ‘Marie Claire’.
On her fashion style, Keira describes it as being ‘boyish’. “If I had to say I’d go with boyish chic. I’ve definitely got a bit of boyish. I was a tomboy. I didn’t wear skirts until I was 14. I hated them. I love a man’s shirt”, she says. As for her first designer outfit, the actress recalls that, “Yes, it was a Miu Miu dress. Do you remember that white Marilyn Monroe dress that billowed up over the subway? It reminded me of that, but in black. It never quite fit – too big on the top. It requires tits that I don’t have, but I still love it. I bought it 10 years ago, but it’s actually in style now. I love when it all comes back around.”
Photos courtesy of Marie Claire Australia