The director Keira Knightley called a “total inspiration”
The relationship between actors and directors is necessarily special, encapsulating mentorships for newcomers and creative partnerships that can last decades. The right combination is often essential in getting a great team together in the first place. This was certainly the case for Keira Knightley when she joined Tony Scott’s production of Domino. The 2005 film follows the true story of model-turned-bounty hunter Domino Harvey, who left behind a life of privilege in England to become a trained fugitive chaser in LA.
So, when Knightley was approached with the gritty, stunt-heavy role of Dominic Harvey, the most important part of her decision-making process was meeting with director Scott. Knightley flew to LA, and the rest is history. “I met Tony Scott and he’s just incredible; a total inspiration,” she said in a 2005 interview with Chud.
The thing that convinced her that Scott was a great director to work with? His relationship with his production team. “You know that because most of his crew has been working with him for ten or fifteen years. And that doesn’t happen unless they completely adore him, and they do completely adore him,” she said. “You walk on set, and it’s just such a great atmosphere, and it’s lovely to be a part of that.”
Scott was an English director and the younger brother of Ridley Scott, who helped launch his career by introducing him to television commercial directing. Tony Scott’s filmography spanned from the cult-favourite but commercially unsuccessful The Hunger, featuring David Bowie, to the blockbuster hit Top Gun. He established himself as a prominent action director with films like Beverly Hills Cop II, Crimson Tide, and Days of Thunder. His expertise in action filmmaking and the loyalty of his seasoned crew made him pivotal when Knightley decided to join the project. She has said that meeting Scott was what ultimately convinced her to take on the role, which proved to be challenging in numerous ways.
From crazy camera set-ups to doing her own stunts, Knightley had a unique and exhilarating experience filming Domino. Scott could be found configuring three cinema cameras on a balcony for one scene, but Knightley had her own challenges, too. Throughout filming, Knightley took on more and more of her own stunt work, even injuring herself in the process.
“I didn’t have the chance beforehand to do as much training as I would because I came straight from another film,” she said. “But, as we’ve gone on, I’ve been doing more and more.”
One such stunt was shooting two machine guns in a thrilling exchange. “It was fantastic. I had a machine gun in each hand, and one of the shells from the machine gun jumped out the back and hit me right there.” Not realising she had been burnt until later, Knightley laughed off the injury and bragged about it as just another exciting part of making the film.
Maybe that’s a sign that Knightley took on some of the characteristics of the real-life Domino Harvey, or just that the film is as action-packed as the career of a true bounty hunter. “I think that the whole concept of the story, the whole idea of this girl who’s from an extremely privileged background who completely turns her back on all of it and goes off on this wild path, is an extraordinary idea in itself,” she concluded.
