“Because, specifically, she is a bitch”: the iconic character Keira Knightley adores
She might be regularly tarred with the ‘dull posh woman’ brush, but Keira Knightley has played some great characters in her career. Elizabeth Swann played a crucial part in the original ‘Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy’, Jules Paxton from Bend It Like Beckham is still an iconic to anyone who grew up in the early 2000s, and her interpretation of Elizabeth Bennet in Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice is, to many, the definitive version.
Acting is in Knightley’s blood. Both of her parents are in the trade; her father is a jobbing actor who has appeared in numerous TV shows and plays, whilst her mother is a playwright. Growing up in this environment, it’s no surprise that she broke into the industry so early, having been exposed to some of the greatest movies of all time from a young age.
According to an interview with The Guardian, a young Knightley – a self-described “boyish kid in dungarees” – was obsessed with one classic film above all others. “I loved Gone with the Wind,” she admitted. “I absolutely did. But really I loved Scarlett O’Hara, because, specifically, she is a bitch. She does things her own way and everybody’s terrified of her, but she lives like a fucking survivor. And everyone wants to be that. It’s that moral ambiguity which I think is truer to life. That sometimes we can be a little bit mean.”
O’Hara, a character that won Vivien Leigh her first of two ‘Best Actress’ Oscars, goes on a remarkable journey across the epic runtime of Victory Fleming’s mega-selling phenomenon. She begins the movie as a spoiled heiress, concerned only with landing the right man and making it to the next high society event on time. The outbreak of the American Civil War changes everything for this Southern belle. She is forced to confront reality for the first time, which proves challenging at first, but, after making her iconic vow to ‘never be hungry again’, she grabs life by the horns and does things her own way.
It’s easy to see why this sort of character would appeal to Knightley, both as a young girl and as a woman attempting to navigate the Hollywood minefield. During her pomp, the star was subjected to a ludicrous level of scrutiny. Headline writers loved to comment on her appearance, despite her still being a teenager during the early part of her career. Someone as strong-willed and unrelenting as O’Hara must have served as an excellent role model during these trying times.
Over 80 years after its initial release, Gone with the Wind continues to generate conversation. Many other famous actors have come forward to sing its praises, including Vin Diesel, which was certainly unexpected. It isn’t without its detractors, however. Much has been made over the pro-Confederacy message of the piece and its representation of Black people. Hattie McDaniel, who became the first African-American to win an Oscar for her role as Mammy, was infamously segregated at the ceremony due to race laws at the time. Regardless of where you stand on the movie as a whole, its impact on culture cannot be disputed.
Characters like Scarlett O’Hara are burned into the very DNA of cinema. They have influenced so much of what has come after them, both in the fictional world of movies and in the living rooms of young kids in their dungarees.
