Wigs, corsets, hoops shape the career of Keira Knightley

By Mal Vincent

There is no corset that can hold her.

And, apparently, no career boundaries.

We’re talking about Keira Knightley. She is the third-youngest actress ever to receive an Academy Award nomination, at age 20 for playing Elizabeth Bennet in the latest remake of “Pride & Prejudice.” She hit box office heaven as the feisty pirate girl who kisses Orlando Bloom in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy and was the tragic beauty of “Atonement.” Now the 23-year-old Briton is starring, again corseted, in the lavish, luscious, 18th century drama “The Duchess,” which opened in theaters this weekend.

There seems to be a pattern. Knightley, one of the few current actresses who might actually be a movie star, specializes in historical period pieces, which feature women and girls in those costumes.

“I don’t know how they ever managed even to have sex,” she says. “I don’t know, in fact, how they breathed. It seems very impractical, but I snapped to right away when I was offered 'The Duchess,’ in spite of her blasted clothes. It’s a great part, even if I have become overly identified with period movies. It’s a risky part. She has to be the toast of all London, gorgeous and all that. How do you play that? But we all have to face failure. Might as well go for it.”

We’re at the Sutton Place Hotel in Toronto, where “The Duchess” was unveiled to North America at the Toronto International Film Festival last month. Knightley is wearing a little black dress and heavily applied eye shadow that makes her look a little like a gorgeous raccoon. She tucks one foot beneath her and sits on it.

“Well, are you going to ask me something, or did I just stop by for tea?” she says.Continued...

I am an avid fan of Keira Knightley. She acts very well.