Keira Knightley is still a teenager, but she’s quickly becoming a lady — A leading one, that is. The 19-year-old Brit came out kickin’ two years ago in the soccer surprise “Bend It Like Beckham,” then wowed audiences last summer in “The Pirates of the Caribbean.” In her latest film, “King Arthur,” Knightley portrays Guinevere as a manipulative warrior-princess who’s as formidable with an arrow as she is with a kiss.
QUESTION: The production notes for “King Arthur” mention your “meteoric” rise to fame. Meteors fall, though. They don’t rise.
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY: That’s true. I’ve never thought of that, actually. They really do use that phrase all the time.
Q: It bothers me. KK: You’re right about that. Now it’s going to bother me as well.
Q: “King Arthur” kind of debunks the Arthurian myth. Do you think audiences might be thrown off a bit?
KK: I don’t see why they should. When I first heard that they were going to do “King Arthur,” I was a bit, like, what’s the point? We’ve seen it so many times before. We all know the legend so well. It wasn’t until I read the script that I actually thought it was really interesting.
Q: What was it that interested you? KK: I find it a fascinating idea to take a fairy tale — a complete fantasy — and to try and ground it in a very specific reality.
Q: Your Guinevere is certainly a lot less demure than her predecessors. How do you anticipate moviegoers reacting to her?
KK: For me, as a moviegoer, I want to see strong women. I think it’s great that we’re seeing a trend of woman playing action stars — roles that 10 years ago they might not have been offered. It makes Guinevere someone who’s proactive rather than someone who is going to sit back and watch the men make it all happen.
Q: Which do you prefer — archery, swashbuckling or soccer?
KK: I’ve got to go with archery. I love the fighting in this movie. Part of the thing with me and “Pirates of the Caribbean” is that I’ve been desperate for a sword fight. All the guys were sword-fighting and training all the time, and I kept on watching them and I was so envious and desperate to do it. I more than made it up for it in this film, though, right?
Q: You kick serious butt. Have you ever been in a real fight?
KK: I think when I was very small. But then I kind of went into a girly phase, and now I’m back to being a brawler.
Q: You’ve worked with Johnny Depp, Adrien Brody and Orlando Bloom. Your girlfriends must be insanely jealous.
KK: Yes. It’s the Johnny Depp thing that really does it. He’s so pretty, but he’s such a great actor. He’s a character actor, really, but nobody expects that from a guy with that face.
Q: Which celebrity do you most resemble? KK: There are so many different actors that people keep telling me I look like. I don’t know. Which one do you think? Keira Knightley, obviously.
Q: You do look a lot like her. Same accent, too. KK: Weird isn’t it? Q: Natalie Portman could be your sister. KK: I actually bumped into her in London of all places, and she’s just this gorgeous little thing. If you’re going to look like somebody, she’s a good one. I’ve had Winona Ryder a couple of times, but I can’t see that at all.
Q: What’s your dream role? KK: I don’t know if I have one in particular. There are so many good women’s roles out there at the moment that you kind of sit back and go, yeah, it’s a good time to be an actress.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 7, 2004. Read the original PDF.