Keira Knightley has revealed that she was terrified during a school visit to prepare for her latest play “The Children’s Hour”. Knightley visited Brentwood School in Essex alongside co-star Elizabeth Moss, the “Mad Men” actress who recently described Knightley as “hot and very talented”. To prepare for the boarding school setting of “The Children’s Hour”, Knightley and Moss were put in charge of a class of ten drama students. Knightley said that the experience was “terrifying” but the pupils were “brilliant”, reports the Evening Standard. Describing the students, Knightley said: “They were so kind. I got them to do a scene from the play – basically I did a drama class. It left me with a great respect for teachers. It gives you an insight into how tired you are after just an hour.” The pupils at the all girls’ school were impressed with Knightley too, with one saying: “We were not allowed to take photos of her or ask for autographs. Not everyone obeyed the rules but she remained lovely and polite throughout the day.” Headteacher Ian Davies said that the pair inspired the pupils, adding: “It was a wonderful opportunity for our girls to work with such fantastic actresses.”

Source: Digital Spy

Keira Knightley prefers “masculine” perfumes. The “Atonement” actress is the face of Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle perfume and admitted before she tried it she only wore men’s fragrances because she hates sweet scents. She explained: “Before Coco Mademoiselle I wore men’s fragrances. I didn’t want something light and flowery – I’m not that kind of girl. “It’s the first perfume I tried and thought, ‘Yes, that fits.’ It’s the mixture of strength and subtlety. It doesn’t overpower but it makes you feel you can stand up straight and that’s important to me. “One of the things I love about it is that although it’s extremely feminine, it gives me this feeling of power.” Keira also revealed she loved the beige catsuit she wears in the new commercial for the brand, which is directed by Joe Wright admitting it made her feel like “superwoman”. She told The Daily Record newspaper: “All I knew before I saw it was that it was a beige catsuit. I didn’t have any details. I discovered it in Karl Lagerfeld’s offices once it was done and when I put it on, I immediately felt like I was slipping into a second skin. I felt like superwoman.”

Source: Contactmusic

Keira Knightley is to play the fairy Tinker Bell in a new Peter Pan prequel movie. The Pirates Of The Caribbean actress will voice the character in Neverland, which is to be screened in the summer. She joins a cast which already includes Anna Friel, Bob Hoskins and Charles Dance for the film, to be screened in two parts on Sky Movies Premiere HD later this year. She leads a colony of tree-dwelling spirits in the film, which imagines a world before JM Barrie’s classic tale begins. Keira will record her role shortly. Rhys Ifans plays Hook, the mentor of a gang of young pickpockets which includes Peter (Charlie Rowe), who steal a magical treasure which transports them to Neverland.

Source: The Press Association

Keira Knightley may be starring in the upcoming adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, directed by Joe Wright and written by Tom Stoppard. The film may begin shooting by the fall of 2012. Asked in an interview (via CinemaBlend) who will start in the film, Wright responded, “Not sure yet. It’s fairly obvious, but I can’t quite say. She hasn’t signed on the line yet. I’m loyal to my actors.” Wright has already worked with Knightely for two films: Pride & Prejudice and Atonement.

Source: JustJared

Keira Knightley is becoming “more beautiful” with age. The 25-year-old actress has recently worked with her “Atonement” director and frequent collaborator, Joe Wright on a commercial for Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle fragrance and Joe – who first met Keira when she was 18 – thinks she is getting even more beautiful as she gets older. He said: “On a purely superficial level, she just gets more beautiful, which is very fair on the rest of us as we all get to admire her. “Plus her sexuality has developed – she’s no longer quite as innocent as she was. She was always bold but she’s a lot more secure in herself now.” Although Joe thinks Keira is stunning, he admitted what is most exciting about her is how she has “taken control” of her image and style. He explained to Style magazine: “It’s like being asked why you love your wife and it’s rather bland to say she’s talented and beautiful and bold because it’s such a subjective thing. “I guess what I’m excited about is watching her develop. She’s her own woman with her own sense of purpose and her own mysteries. She’s not here to conform to a male fantasy. “I think Keira has taken control of her own image. What we tried to do [with the latest commercial] is turn it around so that it begins as a story about the male gaze, but becomes about the female gaze. The idea is the artifice of projected female sexuality.”

Source: Contactmusic

Keira Knightley decided to reduce her movie workload because she was suffering from “exhaustion”. The “Never Let Me Go” actress – who in the past has admitted she can see herself moving away from acting altogether – made the decision she needed a year off from lead roles after she was left drained after playing Georgiana Cavendish in 2008′s “The Duchess”. She explained: “After I did “The Duchess” I was absolutely exhausted and I just went, ‘OK, I need to stop’. So I took a year off and I’ve been playing a lot of supporting roles recently. “I haven’t taken a lead, and I think that’s partly because of that need to find a balance.” However, the 25-year-old star accepts she is “incredibly privileged” to be able to pick and choose when she works. Keira added: “I’m in an incredibly privileged position where I can choose my work. I suppose I’m looking to be stimulated in things that I can put myself into which teach me something about myself and the world.”

Source: Contactmusic

Keira Knightley had to get permission from her mother to buy her most expensive item of clothing. The millionaire actress owns a sheepskin coat from fashion house Burberry, which cost £2,795, but she could only go through with the purchase after being given the go-ahead by her mum Sharman MacDonald – who told her she had to wear the garment every day. She told Britain’s Elle magazine: “My mum was like, ‘You cannot spend that amount of money on a coat,’ and I was like, ‘No, you’re right I can’t, I can’t’. And then literally it was months and months of thinking about it and thinking, ‘I’m not going to do it, I’m not going to do it.’ “But then she said, ‘Right, if you’re going to buy it, you have to wear it all the time.’ “I wore it every day last year and I’m going to wear it every day this year”. Keira has long been careful with her finances, and in 2009 she revealed the global recession had made her stop buying expensive designer shoes and start renting them instead. Keira, now 25, explained: “I think when I was very young and I suddenly started earning a bit of money and I could actually afford to buy shoes, I got very excited and bought a lot. I mean a lot! “I haven’t bought any in quite a while. Now I just rent them for the day. They give them to me for the day and I give them back in the evening, which is good.”

Source: Contactmusic

Keira Knightley has redeemed herself with her return to London’s West End stage, winning over critics with her performance in “The Children’s Hour” The British actress was mauled after making her stage debut in “The Misanthrope” in 2009, but she refused to let the bad reviews stop her from signing up for a stint in Lillian Hellman’s 1934 play. And when the curtain went up, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star managed to impress the audience and draw praise for her role as a headmistress accused of having a lesbian affair with her colleague. Charles Spencer of Britain’s Daily Telegraph wrote that Knightley “displays confidence throughout before rising in the final act to dramatic heights that are shattering in their intensity.” The Guardian’s theatre critic Michael Billington said Knightley and her co-star Elisabeth Moss “prove as potent a combination on stage as at the box office”, adding: “(The) atmospheric, slow-burning and ultimately enthralling production proves far more compelling than I expected.” Meanwhile, filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, who made Knightley a film star after casting her in “Bend It Like Beckham”, was blown away by the actress’ performance. She tells the Press Association, “I thought it was very powerful, I’m a bit overcome. I’m so proud of Keira.”

Source: Contactmusic

Keira Knightley has spent more than £2 million on a house. The 25-year-old actress’s new 18th Century property – located in east London – is said to boast some amazing features, such as a cinema room, dressing room, library and music parlour. The splurge comes shortly after the “Never Let Me Go” star split from her long-term boyfriend Rupert Friend, whom she dated for five years. To get over the break-up she was seen on a night out with her actress pal Sienna Miller last month, eating at Soho restaurant Bocca Di Lupo before hitting the Lucky Voice karaoke bar for some fun in London’s Soho area.

Source: Contactmusic