Keira Knightley: Acting can be like a drug – when it’s going well

Keira Knightley says she’s better with nunchucks than baking – so won’t be giving up the day job (Picture: Reuters)

‘It’s been death, doom and destruction for about five years,’ says Keira Knightley, star of Anna Karenina, Atonement and – once upon a time – the Pirates Of The Caribbean series. ‘I thought I’d like to do something different.’

By ‘different’, she means Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Kenneth Branagh’s reboot of the spy franchise featuring the all-American intelligence analyst created by novelist Tom Clancy, who died last October.

The first three films, released in the 1990s, were adaptations of best-selling Clancy novels, as was The Sum Of All Fears (2002), the first attempted reboot of the franchise with Ben Affleck. Shadow Recruit is the first not to be based on one of the books.

Knightley, who describes it as ‘pure entertainment’, puts in a likeable performance as Cathy, feisty girlfriend to fledgling agent Ryan (Star Trek’s Chris Pine).
During a trip to Moscow, a suspicious Cathy is relieved to discover Jack’s true occupation. ‘Your imagination doesn’t go that far, really, does it?’ she says. ‘“He’s cheating on me, he doesn’t love me…” I think even “he’s a criminal” would come before “he’s a spy!”’

Knightley’s character must then set a honey trap for a Russian crime lord – Branagh. So how was it having to flirt with the director? She grits those famous teeth and grins a knowing grin. ‘Ha ha, in good Hollywood terms it was… fine… He’s a complete sweetheart, so they were probably the most fun scenes,’ she says. ‘I was so interested in working with an actor-director.’Knightley with Kenneth Branagh, co-star/director of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Picture: Larry Hollicks)

Knightley has just returned from the LA premiere. ‘I flew into LA from London, straight into hair and make-up, straight on to a red carpet. You think: “Am I dreaming one of those dreams where I’ve forgotten to put my dress on?” And you keep looking down, going: “No, it’s all right, I’m wearing clothes!”’

Self-assured in many ways – she readily accepts a compliment on her American accent – Knightley also admits to paranoia after a night out with pals. ‘Oh Christ, I’m always apologising for when I think that I’ve been “off” on a night out,’ she says. ‘The next day, you suddenly think: “Oh my God, I think I was really rude.”’

Her playful, undulating tone levels out when we discuss women directors and she ponders the subject of children. ‘I think writing is always going to be easier [than directing] if a woman wants to have a family,’ she says. ‘You can choose to raise your family like my mum [playwright Sharman Macdonald] did.’

How about having children when you’re an actress? ‘I should imagine it’s very difficult,’ she says diplomatically. ‘People do it but the moving around… I should imagine it takes more thought.’

Knightley, 28 – who previously dated actors Jamie Dornan and Rupert Friend – wed Klaxon musician James Righton in May. She certainly looks happy, yet says ‘joy is the most difficult emotion’ to portray on screen.

‘When you’re tired, frightened and nervous, to try and completely overcome that is really, really hard,’ she says. ‘It’s much easier for me to play somebody who’s more introverted and unhappy.’Keira Knightley and husband James Righton from The Klaxons

So what does she love about acting? ‘Trying to get inside somebody’s head. For a second between action and cut, there will be a couple of times where it’s absolutely real. That’s like the drug, the moment where those words are completely your own. It’s magic. If it’s going well, you get it twice a day; if it’s not, you don’t get it at all.’

An actress since she was eight, Knightley has had few critically panned films but not all have been box-office hits. ‘What’s nice is when people come up to you for films that haven’t necessarily done very well but you find out they’ve had a life afterwards,’ she says. ‘[Such as] Last Night, The Edge Of Love and Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World… that one’s actually been brought up three times today.’

This, along with security hovering outside the hotel room door, reminds you that this amiable young woman is a hugely recognised star. Does she ever want to throw in the towel and, say, work in a shop?

‘It depends on the shop!’ she says brightly. ‘I have days when I go to those great independent stores or coffee shops and you’re like, this looks amazing, maybe I could bake cakes and have amazing coffee all day and meet interesting people. But I don’t think I’d be any good at it.’ Why’s that? ‘Because my cakes aren’t that good.’


Knightley is prouder of her weaponry skills. ‘I’m good with a bow and arrow, swords, nunchucks… But I keep hoping that someday someone says: “You have to learn another language for a film.” I suspect that’s the only way I’m actually going to do it. I need to get a French film.’

Until then, Knightley’s got three movies waiting to come out: thriller The Imitation Game, co-starring Benedict Cumberbatch as code-breaker Alan Turing, Sundance dramedy Laggies with Chloë Grace Moretz (‘she’s just glorious’) and Can A Song Change Your Life? (‘an incredibly positive film about friendship and making music’).

Enough joyful films for now, then? ‘I’m probably going to go back to the dramatic, let’s cry ones.’ And she looks quite cheerful about that.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is in cinemas from tomorrow.