In a recent interview with Life Style Extra, Keira Knightley complained about American medias obsession with boobs. The actress claimed her modest rack is altered on movie posters and magazine covers to appear more voluptuous.
"I don't have any tits, so I can't show cleavage. But you're not actually allowed to be on a magazine cover in the US without at least a C cup because it turns people off.
Apparently they have done market research and found that women want to see no less than a C cup on other women. Isn't that crazy? So they make my tits bigger.
Those things certainly weren't mine. I remember we had an interesting discussion when they said, 'We want to make them slightly larger and you'll get approval', and I was like. 'Okay, fine. I honestly don't give a shit.'"
What has she been bad in? I actually haven't noticed a gross lack of talent to warrant some above catty remarks. She's not great, but not many actors/actresses in their 20s are. Domino was pretty bad, but I didn't think she was bad in it.
I just can't help thinking that a - she got her major break as a Natalie Portman Doppelganger in Star Wars: ep 1. So we were already acutely aware (even if we didnt realize it) of her slight and androgynously boyish frame mixed with classically beautiful face.
B- Then we saw her as a 15 and 16 year old, playing a slut in "The Hole" showing what she had to the world, after having on screen what would now be considered by the UK governments new legislation as a forced sexual act (because of the intoxicants involved). Magically circumventing international, drug reference, nudity and sexual content jurisdictions/censorship by being an English actress (therefore legally consenting at 16 [only requiring parental permission to be filmed and aired, and frankly any parents who allow the child to live separately in boarding school and her own apartment from 13, would probably allow on screen nudity, especially as theyre in the business and probably perceived this a strategic move of Kieras part]) and the whole of The Hole being shot in England.
So to narrow it down a little, in my opinion she got her break by being a cheaper, British version of a pre-existing acclaimed actress (who as we saw in V for Vendetta can do a passable London accent), who would show her breasts if the role dictated, and had no qualms (at least originally) of portraying herself as a sluttish and mean-spirited person; whish is a role Ive never seen Portman in, and frankly would be disappointed if she did. This was a shrewd business move on the part of the Knightly seniors and/or Keira.
Then she got all serious, arty and mature with her next roles and was suddenly praised for good acting and in my opinion it mostly wasnt; once again appearing in the odd and slightly convoluted The Jacket during which you see her as a slightly smutty snobbish, and rather indolent, character with a daddy complex (anyone seeing a pattern here?). Once again her two dimensional part and almost melodramatic acting (akin to Demi Moore in The Seventh Sign, almost down to the bath scenes), were only redeemed by the frequent exposure of her breasts and/or ass (assuming that was even hers, and you werent watching it in the nudity phobic USA).
If she wasnt built like a dancer and model (and got a very flattering wardrobe), then that contrived, inaccurate and overly stylized piece of (admitted enjoyable) shite Domino, would have fallen on its face if it werent for the sheer mass of teenagers clambering to the cinemas because the online versions of the topless scene and lap dance scene were in such poor quality (a fantastic move on the studios part, as were the articles with subtle hints towards narrative content in Uk Lads Mags).
. . . So what Im getting at is that shes not a bad actress but if it werent for the cute, slightly posh accent (that probably [unfortunately] devolves into Kate Moss-esq SAAF LANAN slang ridden 21st century Cockney, when the cameras stop rolling), stylishly clad model esq frame, the undeniably classically beautiful (slightly Lolita) Caucasian features, and the frequent appearance of her breasts (in 5 different productions I know about, including the wet tee-shirt/corset contest that was POTC: Dead Mans Chest ). Shed have been doing adverts and/or presenting a British Saturday morning t. v. show by now.
Im only writing this because frankly I find her to the epitome of beauty and am bewitched by her, shes pretty much my age and only two days younger than Jules (a kind of ex, and good friend) but is an embodiment of the constantly unavailable (despite living within a very close radius to me [as Keira also does]) girl at school you fancied in your class, but would only date the guys from a couple of years above, and how unfair this was.
To make matters worse I mustve spent a shite load of money on all her films and the series of Doctor Zhivago" and the Princess of Thieves, and mostly after Ive watched them once I seriously wonder why the fuck I bought them in the first place, ESPECIALLY Princess of Thieves and Pride and Prejudice, but I never learn and buy them almost immediately when they come out, I probably watch them maybe 3 times in total before they end up next to all the repetitive and predictable Schwarzenegger, Jet Li and Segal films Ive no intention of ever watching again.
Alyk
Boston, MA
February 2005
JUL 13, 2006 08:30 PM