The filmmaker who inspired Keira Knightley to become an actor
Keira Knightley’s career shows an actor determined not to be put into a box. From psychological thrillers to piratical adventure films and more than a few historical dramas in the early 2000s, Knightley has proven herself as one of the most prolific British actors of her generation.
After a breakout role in 2002’s Bend it Like Beckham, Knightley would gain global recognition alongside Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom in the first outing in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as the film’s damsel-in-distress turned force-to-be-reckoned-with Elizabeth Swan.
Despite a chance to work alongside actors like Depp and noted English actor Johnathan Pryce, it wasn’t until 2014’s Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit that Knightley would get to work alongside the actor who inspired her career.
“It’s fascinating watching him do his actor-director bit,” Knightley says of famed thespian Kenneth Branagh, who directed the film, an adaptation of the famous Tom Clancy novels that this time starred Chris Pine in the titular role once held by the likes of Alec Baldwin in The Hunt for Red October and Harrison Ford in Patriot Games.
Branagh has been directing alongside his on-screen performances since the late 1980s, starting with his rendition of Henry V. He is famous for his adaptations of Shakespeare’s works, which Knightley says were some of the main impetus behind her choice of profession. “Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, and Hamlet were such massive parts of why I wanted to be an actress,” she says.
In fact, the opportunity to work with Branagh caused Knightley to sign up for his Jack Ryan adaptation. When discussing what Branagh is like on set, Knightley adds, “Actually getting to work with him as an actor and director is amazing,” describing that she would find fascination in watching as the actor who has portrayed kings, Belgian detectives, and on one occasion, himself, would suddenly run behind the camera and switch roles immediately, “It’s really interesting watching him snap back-and-forth and watching him work,” the Love Actually star would go on to say.
Branagh started working in theatre in the early 1980s, beginning his career in London’s West End after graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he served as president from 2015 to 2024. The actor, who was born in Ireland, has been awarded four Baftas, a Golden Globe, two Emmy awards, and an Academy Award for ‘Best Screenplay’ for his 2021 film Belfast.
The chance to get to work with someone who so directly inspired her would clearly leave its mark on an actor who herself admits, “I wore out my VHS copy of Much Ado About Nothing because I watched it so many times.” In spite of her varied career, like Branagh’s ties to Shakespeare, Knightley is most known for a particular style of film, the historical dramas like Atonement, Pride and Prejudice and The Duchess. Having herself been awarded an OBE for services to drama, it seems the actor is following in the footsteps of Branagh, who she claims working alongside was “a privilege”.
