Editing Keira Knightley

{{Short description|English actress (born 1985)}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Keira Knightley
| honorific_suffix   = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}}
| image              = Knightley Bafta 2015 03.png
| alt                = A portrait of Keira Knightley, speaking into a microphone in 2015
| caption            = Knightley in 2015
| birth_name         = Keira Christina Knightley
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1985|3|26}}
| birth_place        = London, England<!--No boroughs/neighbourhoods, just cities per format.-->
| other_names        = 
| occupation         = Actress
| years_active       = 1991–present
| works              = [[List of Keira Knightley performances|Full list]]
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[James Righton]]|4 May 2013}}
| children           = 2
| parents            = {{ubl|[[Will Knightley]]|[[Sharman Macdonald]]}}
| awards             = [[List of awards and nominations received by Keira Knightley|Full list]]
}}

'''Keira Christina Knightley''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɪər|ə|_|ˈ|n|aɪ|t|l|i}} {{respell|KEER|ə|_|NYTE|lee}}; born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in [[independent film]]s and [[Blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbusters]], particularly [[Historical drama|period dramas]], she has received [[List of awards and nominations received by Keira Knightley|numerous accolades]], including nominations for two [[Academy Awards]], two [[British Academy Film Awards]], four [[Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globes]], and a [[Laurence Olivier Award]]. In 2018, she was appointed an [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] at [[Buckingham Palace]] for services to drama and charity.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=62310 |date=9 June 2018 |page=B12 |supp=y }}</ref>

Born in London to actors [[Will Knightley]] and [[Sharman Macdonald]], Knightley obtained an agent at age six and initially worked in commercials and television films. Following a minor role as [[List of Star Wars characters#Sabé|Sabé]] in ''[[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace]]'' (1999), her breakthrough came when she played a tomboy footballer in ''[[Bend It Like Beckham]]'' (2002) and co-starred in ''[[Love Actually]]'' (2003). She achieved global recognition for playing [[Elizabeth Swann]] in the ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)|Pirates of the Caribbean]]'' film series (2003–2007; 2017).

For her portrayal of [[Elizabeth Bennet]] in ''[[Pride & Prejudice (2005 film)|Pride & Prejudice]]'' (2005), Knightley was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]]. She starred in several more period films over the next few years, including ''[[Atonement (2007 film)|Atonement]]'' (2007), ''[[The Duchess (film)|The Duchess]]'' (2008), ''[[A Dangerous Method]]'' (2011), and ''[[Anna Karenina (2012 film)|Anna Karenina]]'' (2012). She took on contemporary-set parts in ''[[Begin Again (film)|Begin Again]]'' (2013) and ''[[Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit]]'' (2014), and returned to historical films playing [[Joan Clarke]] in ''[[The Imitation Game]]'' (2014), earning a nomination for the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]]. She has since starred as the [[Colette|title character]] in ''[[Colette (2018 film)|Colette]]'' (2018), journalist [[Loretta McLaughlin]] in ''[[Boston Strangler (film)|Boston Strangler]]'' (2023), and a spy in the thriller series ''[[Black Doves]]'' (2024).

On stage, Knightley has appeared in two [[West End theatre|West End]] productions: ''[[The Misanthrope]]'' in 2009, which earned her an [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role|Olivier Award]] nomination, and ''[[The Children's Hour (play)|The Children's Hour]]'' in 2011. She also starred as the titular heroine in the 2015 Broadway production of ''[[Thérèse Raquin#Theatrical|Thérèse Raquin]]''. Knightley is known for her outspoken stance on social issues and has worked extensively with [[Amnesty International]], [[Oxfam]], and [[Comic Relief]]. She is married to musician [[James Righton]], with whom she has two daughters.

== Early life and education ==
Keira Christina Knightley was born on 26 March 1985 in the London suburb of [[Teddington]], to stage actors [[Will Knightley]] and [[Sharman Macdonald]].<ref name=z2020310>{{Cite magazine |year=2007 |title=Keria Knightley – |magazine=Biography Today |volume=16 |issue=2 |page=82 |issn=1058-2347}}<br />- {{Cite web |year=2014 |title=Keira Knightley |url=http://www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Keira_Knightley |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103224730/http://www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Keira_Knightley |archive-date=3 November 2013 |access-date=10 January 2014 |website=Voguepedia |publisher=Condé Nast}}<br />- {{Cite magazine |date=29 March 2013 |title=Monitor |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |issue=1252 |page=30}}</ref> She was meant to be named "Kiera", the anglicised form of "Kira", after the Soviet figure skater [[Kira Ivanova]], whom her father admired; however, Macdonald misspelt the name when she registered her daughter's birth certificate, writing the ''e'' before the ''i''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 January 2015 |title=Keira's year: Oscars, babies & Chanel |publisher=Elle UK |url=http://www.elleuk.com/now-trending/march-cover-keira-knightley-chanel-motherhood-rules |url-status=live |access-date=13 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214152741/http://www.elleuk.com/now-trending/march-cover-keira-knightley-chanel-motherhood-rules |archive-date=14 February 2015}}</ref> Her father is [[English people|English]] and her mother is of [[Scottish people|Scottish]] and [[Welsh people|Welsh]] descent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Utichi |first=Joe |date=20 June 2008 |title=Keira Knightley On Welsh Accents and Life After Pirates |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/edge_of_love/news/1736206/rt_interview_keira_knightley_on_welsh_accents_and_life_after_pirates |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912130751/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/edge_of_love/news/1736206/rt_interview_keira_knightley_on_welsh_accents_and_life_after_pirates |archive-date=12 September 2008 |access-date=20 October 2008 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> Knightley has an older brother, Caleb.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Picardie |first=Justine |date=2 September 2007 |title=Keira Knightley: a not so serious player |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |url=http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/news-features/TMG3360887/Keira-Knightley-a-not-so-serious-player.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105105626/http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/news-features/TMG3360887/Keira-Knightley-a-not-so-serious-player.html |archive-date=5 January 2016}}</ref> Macdonald worked as a playwright after her acting career came to an end. Knightley's parents encountered substantial financial difficulties following the birth of her brother;<ref>[http://website-archive2.nt-online.org/?lid=2318 Getting There: Sharman Macdonald] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114064402/http://website-archive2.nt-online.org/?lid=2318 |date=14 November 2007 }} as-appeared in ''Stagewrite'' (Summer 1999) "I was desperate for a second child. Desperate never to act again. Most of all desperate to stop eating lentils, French bread and tomatoes. We were broke, Will and me. We had one child. My hormones were screaming at me to have another. So. Will bet me a child for the sale of a script"</ref> her father, a "middling" actor, agreed to a second child only if her mother sold a script first. However, her parents' varying degrees of success did not deter Knightley's curiosity about the profession.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Conner |first=Megan |date=25 October 2014 |title=Keira Knightley: 'I used to try to be sensible and good and professional' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/26/kiera-knightley-interview-marriage-movies-being-a-geek |access-date=7 May 2021 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309064714/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/26/kiera-knightley-interview-marriage-movies-being-a-geek |url-status=live }}</ref> Macdonald introduced her own children to theatre and ballet very early.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 November 2008 |title=My daughter Keira Knightley |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/my-daughter-keira-knightley-1001096.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424090139/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/my-daughter-keira-knightley-1001096.html |archive-date=24 April 2017 |access-date=24 April 2017 |website=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> This inspired Knightley's interest in acting.<ref name="shining">{{Cite magazine |last=Goldman |first=Andrew |title=Shining Knightley |url=http://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a9216/shining-knightley-19388/ |url-status=live |magazine=Elle |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216150918/http://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a9216/shining-knightley-19388/ |archive-date=16 February 2015 |access-date=20 October 2008}}</ref>

Knightley attended [[Teddington School]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Keira Knightley biography |url=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/keira-knightley.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602194055/http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/keira-knightley.html |archive-date=2 June 2012 |access-date=23 September 2012 |website=[[The Biography Channel|Bio]]}}</ref> She was diagnosed with [[dyslexia]] at age six, but by the time she was eleven, with her parents' support, she says, "they deemed me to have got over it sufficiently". She is still a slow reader and cannot read out loud.<ref name="Independent">{{Cite news |last=Macnab |first=Geoffrey |date=7 January 2012 |title=Keira Knightley: 'Sometimes I just sit on the bathroom floor and burst into tears' |work=Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/keira-knightley-sometimes-i-just-sit-on-the-bathroom-floor-and-burst-into-tears-6284848.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725170942/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/keira-knightley-sometimes-i-just-sit-on-the-bathroom-floor-and-burst-into-tears-6284848.html |archive-date=25 July 2015 |quote=She was six at the time her condition was noticed{{nbsp}}... Through constant tutoring and the intervention of her parents, she was able to overcome the condition. 'I am a slow reader{{nbsp}}... By the time I was 11, they deemed me to have got over it sufficiently.' She still can't read out loud, though. |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Knightley has said she was "single-minded about acting".<ref name="dyslexia">{{Cite news |last=Abel |first=Judy |date=6 November 2005 |title=Tough enough |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |url=https://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2005/11/06/tough_enough/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216102305/http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2005/11/06/tough_enough/ |archive-date=16 December 2008}}</ref> At age three, she requested to obtain an agent like her parents and secured one at six. This led to her taking a number of small parts in television dramas.<ref>{{Cite news |title='Awards Chatter' Podcast — Keira Knightley ('Colette') |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/awards-chatter-podcast-keira-knightley-colette-1147393 |url-status=live |access-date=6 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012153558/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/awards-chatter-podcast-keira-knightley-colette-1147393 |archive-date=12 October 2018}}</ref> She acted in a number of local amateur productions, which included ''[[After Juliet]]'', written by her mother, and ''United States'', written by her drama teacher. Knightley began studying her [[A-Levels]] at [[Esher College]], but left after a year to pursue an acting career.<ref>''Biography Today'', p .84</ref> Her mother's friends encouraged her to go to drama school, which she declined for financial and professional reasons.<ref name="guardian1">{{Cite news |last=Conner |first=Megan |date=25 October 2015 |title=Keira Knightley: 'I used to try to be sensible and good and professional' |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/26/kiera-knightley-interview-marriage-movies-being-a-geek |access-date=6 April 2021 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309064714/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/26/kiera-knightley-interview-marriage-movies-being-a-geek |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Career ==
=== 1993–2002: Career beginnings and breakthrough ===
[[File:Star Wars and the Power of Costume July 2018 11 (Queen Amidala's Naboo escape gown from Episode I).jpg|thumb|upright|Knightley's costume from ''[[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace]]'' (1999) on display at the [[Detroit Institute of Arts]]]]

After obtaining an agent at age six, Knightley began working in commercials and small television roles. Her first onscreen appearance was in the 1993 ''[[Screen One]]'' television episode titled "Royal Celebration". She then played Natasha Jordan, a young girl whose mother is involved in an extramarital affair, in the romantic drama ''[[A Village Affair (film)|A Village Affair]]'' (1995). After appearing in a spate of television films through the mid-to-late 1990s, including ''[[Innocent Lies]]'' (1995), ''[[The Treasure Seekers (1996 film)|The Treasure Seekers]]'' (1996), ''[[Coming Home (TV serial)|Coming Home]]'' (1998), and ''[[Oliver Twist (1999 miniseries)|Oliver Twist]]'' (1999),<ref name="Biography Today, pp. 83–84">Biography Today, pp. 83–84</ref> Knightley landed the role of [[List of Star Wars characters#Sabé|Sabé]], [[Padmé Amidala]]'s [[handmaiden]] and [[decoy]], in the 1999 science fiction blockbuster ''[[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace]]''. Her dialogue was dubbed over by [[Natalie Portman]], who played Padmé. Knightley was cast in the role because of her close resemblance to Portman; even the two actresses' mothers had difficulty telling their daughters apart when they were in full make-up.<ref name="portman">{{Cite web |last=Buchanan |first=Jason |title=Keira Knightley |url=http://movies.msn.com/celebrities/celebrity/keira-knightley/?gallery=9700&stab=3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315161136/http://movies.msn.com/celebrities/celebrity/keira-knightley/?gallery=9700&stab=3 |archive-date=15 March 2009 |access-date=17 March 2006 |publisher=MSN Movies |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In her first major role, the 2001 [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney Productions]] television film ''[[Princess of Thieves]]'', Knightley played the daughter of [[Robin Hood]]. In preparation for the part, she trained for several weeks in archery, fencing, and riding.<ref name="Biography Today, p. 85">Biography Today, p. 85</ref> Concurrently, she appeared in ''[[The Hole (2001 film)|The Hole]]'', a thriller that received a direct-to-video release in the US. The film's director [[Nick Hamm]] described her as "a young version of [[Julie Christie]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hole, The : Production Notes |url=http://cinema.com/articles/351/hole-the-production-notes.phtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140827014350/http://cinema.com/articles/351/hole-the-production-notes.phtml |archive-date=27 August 2014 |access-date=29 December 2013 |publisher=Cinema.com}}</ref> Knightley also took on the role of Lara Antipova in the 2002 miniseries adaptation of ''[[Doctor Zhivago (miniseries)|Doctor Zhivago]]'', to positive reviews and high ratings.<ref name="Doctor Zhivago">{{Cite news |title=Keira Knightley |work=Sunday Herald |url=http://www.hansmatheson.org/zhivago/zhrev_promise.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001239/http://www.hansmatheson.org/zhivago/zhrev_promise.html |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> In the same year, Knightley starred as a pregnant drug addict in [[Gillies MacKinnon]]'s drama film ''[[Pure (2002 film)|Pure]]''. Co-starring [[Molly Parker]] and [[Harry Eden]], the film had its world premiere at the [[2002 Toronto International Film Festival]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 September 2002 |title=Pure (2002) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pure/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426151140/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pure/ |archive-date=26 April 2017 |access-date=25 April 2017 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref> In a retrospect review for AboutFilm.com, Carlo Cavagna noted Knightley's screen presence and wrote that "[although Knightley] doesn't have half of Parker's ability [...] she has spunk and grit [and] shines brightly in ''Pure''".<ref name="cavagna">{{Cite web |last=Cavagna |first=Carlo |title=Pure |url=http://www.aboutfilm.com/movies/p/pure.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104045913/http://www.aboutfilm.com/movies/p/pure.htm |archive-date=4 November 2016 |access-date=25 April 2017 |publisher=AboutFilm.com}}</ref>

Knightley landed a breakthrough role when she starred in [[Gurinder Chadha]]'s sports comedy film ''[[Bend It Like Beckham]]'', which was a box office hit in the U.K and U.S.<ref name="schwartz">{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Dana |date=12 April 2017 |title=18 Winning Facts About Bend It Like Beckham |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/76972/18-winning-facts-about-bend-it-beckham |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426060707/http://mentalfloss.com/article/76972/18-winning-facts-about-bend-it-beckham |archive-date=26 April 2017 |access-date=25 April 2017 |website=[[Mental Floss]]}}</ref> Knightley portrayed Jules, a [[tomboy]] football player struggling against social norms who convinces her friend to pursue the sport.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morrison |first=Alan |title=Bend It Like Beckham Review |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bend-like-beckham-review/ |access-date=25 August 2021 |website=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire Online]] |date=January 2000 |archive-date=3 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903170635/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bend-like-beckham-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The film surprised critics who were laudatory of its "charming" and "inspiring" nature, social context and the cast's performances.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 March 2003 |title=Bend It Like Beckham (2003) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bend_it_like_beckham/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211160346/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bend_it_like_beckham/ |archive-date=11 February 2017 |access-date=25 April 2017 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref> Knightley and her co-star [[Parminder Nagra]] attracted international attention for their performances;<ref name="goodacre">{{Cite web |last=Goodacre |first=Kate |date=22 March 2015 |title=Bend It Like Beckham: Where are the cast of the 2002 box office hit now? |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/feature/a620513/bend-it-like-beckham-where-are-the-cast-of-the-2002-box-office-hit-now/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426062342/http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/feature/a620513/bend-it-like-beckham-where-are-the-cast-of-the-2002-box-office-hit-now/ |archive-date=26 April 2017 |access-date=25 April 2017 |website=[[Digital Spy]]}}</ref> critic [[James Berardinelli]], who was largely laudatory of the film and the "energetic and likable" cast, noted that Knightley and Nagra brought "a lot of spirit to their instantly likable characters".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Bend it Like Beckham (United States/United Kingdom/Germany, 2002) |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/b/bend_it.html |access-date=30 April 2017 |website=Reelviews |archive-date=26 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326220700/http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/b/bend_it.html |url-status=live }}</ref> To prepare for their roles, they underwent three months of extensive football training under the English football coach [[Simon Clifford]]. Knightley was initially sceptical of the project: in an interview with [[Tracy Smith (journalist)|Tracy Smith]] she said, "I remember telling friends I was doing this girls' soccer movie [...] And nobody thought that it was gonna be any good."<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 July 2014 |title=Bend It Like Beckham |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/keira-knightley-2014/6/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426060523/http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/keira-knightley-2014/6/ |archive-date=26 April 2017 |access-date=25 April 2017 |publisher=[[CBS News]]}}</ref>

=== 2003–2007: ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' and worldwide recognition ===
[[File:KeiraKnightleyJuly06.jpg|left|thumb|Knightley at the premiere of [[Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest|''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'']] (2006)]]
Knightley was cast as [[Elizabeth Swann]] in the 2003 American fantasy [[swashbuckler film]] ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Lee |date=28 March 2021 |title=Here's How Keira Knightley Reacted When She Was Cast In 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' |url=https://www.thethings.com/heres-how-keira-knightley-reacted-when-she-was-cast-in-pirates-of-the-caribbean/ |access-date=7 April 2021 |website=TheThings |archive-date=9 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509050406/https://www.thethings.com/heres-how-keira-knightley-reacted-when-she-was-cast-in-pirates-of-the-caribbean/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The film, based on the [[Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)|Disney theme park attraction]], revolves around infamous buccaneer [[Jack Sparrow]] and blacksmith [[Will Turner]] rescuing Swann, in possession of a cursed golden medallion, from 18th-century pirates.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 July 2003 |title=Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pirates_of_the_caribbean_the_curse_of_the_black_pearl/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022143947/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pirates_of_the_caribbean_the_curse_of_the_black_pearl/ |archive-date=22 October 2008 |access-date=20 October 2008 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> The producers [[Jerry Bruckheimer]] and [[Gore Verbinski]] cast Knightley for her "indescribable quality [...] reminiscent of motion picture stars from Hollywood's heyday."<ref name="presskit">{{Cite web |title=Pirates of the Caribbean Presskit |url=http://www.keeptothecode.com/pdf/POTCprodnotes1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713142425/http://www.keeptothecode.com/pdf/POTCprodnotes1.pdf |archive-date=13 July 2011 |access-date=6 April 2021 |publisher=[[Walt Disney Pictures]]}}</ref> Knightley underestimated the stunt work required and believed she would primarily be sitting in carriages; at one point during filming, she stood for two days on a plank and rejected a stunt double's offer to jump off the platform for the scene.<ref name="presskit" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Making of An Epic at Sea |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Aq2NAmBjfU |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/2Aq2NAmBjfU |archive-date=2021-12-12 |access-date=6 April 2021 |website=[[YouTube]]| date=14 July 2020 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> Despite boasting the names of stars like [[Johnny Depp]] and [[Orlando Bloom]] and a $135 million budget, ''Pirates'' was expected to fail at the box office.<ref name="nasahwaty">{{Cite magazine |last=Nasahwaty |first=Chris |date=25 July 2003 |title=Box Office Buccaneer |url=https://ew.com/article/2003/07/25/how-pirates-fits-johnny-depps-quirky-career/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017212258/http://www.ew.com/article/2003/07/25/how-pirates-fits-johnny-depps-quirky-career |archive-date=17 October 2015 |access-date=27 April 2017}}</ref> Knightley herself was not optimistic about its prospects.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 July 2014 |title=Pirates of the Caribbean |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/keira-knightley-2014/9/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428142258/http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/keira-knightley-2014/9/ |archive-date=28 April 2017 |access-date=27 April 2017 |website=CBS News}}</ref> The film opened at number one on the box office, and became one of the highest-grossing releases of the year, with worldwide revenues of $654 million.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl |publisher=BoxOfficeMojo |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=piratesofthecaribbean.htm |url-status=live |access-date=20 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926205124/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=piratesofthecaribbean.htm |archive-date=26 September 2009}}</ref> [[Elvis Mitchell]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' likened Knightley's "strident and confident" physical assurance to that of [[Nicole Kidman]], while Keith Phipps of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' described her and Bloom as appealing leads.<ref name="nytpotc">{{Cite news |last=Mitchell |first=Elvis |date=9 July 2003 |title=Film Review; Mascara As Black As a Jolly Roger |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/09/movies/film-review-mascara-as-black-as-a-jolly-roger.html |access-date=6 April 2021 |archive-date=30 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330123337/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/09/movies/film-review-mascara-as-black-as-a-jolly-roger.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Phillips |first=Keith |date=8 July 2003 |title=Pirates Of The Caribbean: Curse Of The Black Pearl |url=https://www.avclub.com/pirates-of-the-caribbean-curse-of-the-black-pearl-1798198750 |access-date=6 April 2021 |website=The A.V. Club |archive-date=5 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305103800/https://film.avclub.com/pirates-of-the-caribbean-curse-of-the-black-pearl-1798198750 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Also in 2003, Knightley appeared in [[Richard Curtis]]'s Christmas-themed romantic comedy ''[[Love Actually]]'', featuring an ensemble cast, which included her childhood idol [[Emma Thompson]].<ref name="Biograph Today, p. 88">''Biography Today'', p. 88</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=26 November 2003 |title=Love Actually (2003) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/love_actually/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210193344/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/love_actually/ |archive-date=10 February 2017 |access-date=30 April 2017 |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]. [[Flixster]]}}</ref> Knightley played Juliet, a woman whose fiancé's best man is secretly in love with her.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharf |first=Zach |date=31 October 2018 |title=Keira Knightley Has Only Seen 'Love Actually' Once, So Forgive Her for Not Knowing Which Guy Her Character Chooses |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/10/keira-knightley-has-only-seen-love-actually-once-1202016824/ |access-date=6 April 2021 |website=[[IndieWire]] |archive-date=15 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515054737/https://www.indiewire.com/2018/10/keira-knightley-has-only-seen-love-actually-once-1202016824/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Peter Travers of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' criticised the waste of Knightley's talent in a "nothing" role,<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Travers |first=Peter |date=3 November 2003 |title=Love Actually |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/love-actually-126713/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=6 April 2021}}</ref> while Megan Conner of ''[[The Guardian]]'' remarked that the film turned Knightley into a household name.<ref name="guardian1" /> ''Love Actually'' has been referred to as a modern-day Christmas classic.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The best Christmas movies on Netflix UK |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/best-christmas-movies-netflix-uk/love-actually/ |url-status=dead |access-date=24 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213102351/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/best-christmas-movies-netflix-uk/love-actually/ |archive-date=13 December 2017}}</ref> Knightley believes the film's trajectory to be "extraordinary", given that its popularity resurfaced a few years after the film's release.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rawden |first=Jessica |date=24 December 2019 |title=Love Actually's Keira Knightley Doesn't Know Why People Love The Christmas Movie So Much |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2487413/love-actuallys-kiera-knightley-doesnt-know-why-people-love-the-christmas-movie-so-much |access-date=6 April 2021 |website=Cinema Blend |archive-date=12 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412024458/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2487413/love-actuallys-kiera-knightley-doesnt-know-why-people-love-the-christmas-movie-so-much |url-status=live }}</ref> Knightley's only release of 2004 was the historical film ''[[King Arthur (2004 film)|King Arthur]]'', where she played [[Guinevere]], a warrior queen and the wife of the [[King Arthur|titular character]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 July 2004 |title=King Arthur (2004) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1133964-king_arthur/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023225636/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1133964-king_arthur/ |archive-date=23 October 2008 |access-date=20 October 2008 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> The part required her to learn boxing, archery, and riding.<ref name="Biograph Today, p. 88" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=13 June 2004 |title=In Step With: Keira Knightley |publisher=Parade Magazine |url=http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2004/edition_06-13-2004/in_step_with_1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023091438/http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2004/edition_06-13-2004/in_step_with_1 |archive-date=23 October 2006}}</ref> The critic [[A. O. Scott]] praised Knightley for "throw[ing] herself bodily into every scene".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=A.O |date=7 July 2004 |title=Film Review; The Once and Future Fury: These Knights Go for the Jugular |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/07/movies/film-review-the-once-and-future-fury-these-knights-go-for-the-jugular.html |access-date=6 April 2021 |archive-date=20 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620134215/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/07/movies/film-review-the-once-and-future-fury-these-knights-go-for-the-jugular.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Although the film received unfavourable reviews, Knightley's stature as a performer grew; she was voted by the readers of ''[[Hello (magazine)|Hello]]'' magazine as the industry's most promising teen star,<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 July 2004 |title=Keira beats Scarlett in our talented teen poll |work=Hello! Magazine |url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/film/2004/07/13/keiravote/ |url-status=dead |access-date=13 July 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040713204508/http://www.hellomagazine.com/film/2004/07/13/keiravote/ |archive-date=13 July 2004}}</ref> and featured in ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine's article, which stated that she seemed dedicated to develop herself as a serious actor rather than a film star.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=5 July 2004 |title=Keira's Quest |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,994583-1,00.html |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328185425/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,994583-1,00.html |archive-date=28 March 2010 |access-date=24 January 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Pride and Prejudice 004 (7271339306).jpg|thumb|upright|Knightley attending the premiere of ''[[Pride & Prejudice (2005 film)|Pride & Prejudice]]'' at the [[2005 Toronto International Film Festival]]; the role earned Knightley her first [[Academy Award]] nomination]]

Knightley appeared in three films in 2005, the first of which was the psychological thriller ''[[The Jacket]]'', co-starring [[Adrien Brody]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 March 2005 |title=The Jacket (2005) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jacket/?critic=creamcrop#contentReviews |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603175900/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jacket/?critic=creamcrop#contentReviews |archive-date=3 June 2008 |access-date=20 October 2008 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> In a mixed review for ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'', Kim Newman wrote that the role was unlike the ones she had previously taken up : "getting out of period gear and talking American, tries to broaden her range and is arguably well-cast".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newman |first=Kim |date=14 October 2015 |title=The Jacket Review |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/jacket/review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809133110/http://www.empireonline.com/movies/jacket/review/ |archive-date=9 August 2017 |access-date=30 April 2017 |website=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire Online]]}}</ref> Knightley next played the titular character in [[Tony Scott]]'s French-American action film ''[[Domino (2005 film)|Domino]]'', based on the life of [[Domino Harvey]]. The film's release was delayed on several occasions and, on its eventual release in November, it received negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 October 2005 |title=Domino (2005) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/domino/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028223040/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/domino/ |archive-date=28 October 2008 |access-date=20 October 2008 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}<br />- {{Cite web |last=Gray |first=Brandon |date=17 October 2005 |title='Fog' Tops Soggy Weekend |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=1919&p=.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812100242/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=1919&p=.htm |archive-date=12 August 2017 |access-date=30 April 2017 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>

Knightley's most successful release of the year was ''[[Pride & Prejudice (2005 film)|Pride & Prejudice]]'', a period drama based on [[Jane Austen]]'s novel ''[[Pride and Prejudice]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pride and Prejudice (2005) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/search/full_search.php?search=pride+and+prejudice |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222040112/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/search/full_search.php?search=pride+and+prejudice |archive-date=22 December 2007 |access-date=20 October 2008 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> The director [[Joe Wright]] cast Knightley for her tomboyish nature combined with a "lively mind" and sense of humour.<ref>{{cite press release |title=''Pride & Prejudice'': The Production |date=1 November 2005 |publisher=Focus Features |url=http://focusfeatures.com/article/pride___prejudice__the_production?film=pride_and_prejudice |ref={{sfnRef|Focus Features Production|2005}} |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130123092712/http://focusfeatures.com/article/pride___prejudice__the_production?film=pride_and_prejudice |archive-date=23 January 2013 |access-date=19 January 2012}}</ref> Knightley, who had admired the book from a young age,<ref name="Biography Today, p. 90">''Biography Today'', p. 90</ref> said of her character, "The beauty of [[Elizabeth Bennet|Elizabeth]] is that every woman who ever reads the book seems to recognise herself, with all her faults and imperfections."<ref name="Biography Today, p. 90" /> On release, the film became a huge commercial success, with total collections of around US$120{{nbsp}}million worldwide, and received positive reviews from critics.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pride and Prejudice |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=prideandprejudice05.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129062227/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=prideandprejudice05.htm |archive-date=29 January 2012 |access-date=20 October 2008 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> Writing for ''[[The Guardian]]'', Peter Bradshaw labelled her performance of "beauty, delicacy, spirit and wit; in her growing lustre and confidence" and Derek Elley of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' found her "luminous strength" to be reminiscent of a young [[Audrey Hepburn]].<ref name="bradshaw01">{{Cite web |last=Bradshaw |first=Peter |date=16 September 2005 |title=Pride & Prejudice |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2005/sep/16/2 |access-date=6 April 2021 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=23 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923003107/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2005/sep/16/2 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Elley |first=Derek |date=11 September 2005 |title=Pride & Prejudice |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://www.variety.com/awardcentral_review/VE1117928133.html?nav=reviews07&categoryid=1986&cs=1 |url-status=live |access-date=18 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224035358/http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_review/VE1117928133.html?nav=reviews07&categoryid=1986&cs=1 |archive-date=24 December 2008}}</ref> Knightley earned "Best Actress in a Leading Role" nominations at the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical|Golden Globes]] and the [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Academy Awards]] for her performance at age 20, becoming the [[List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees#Youngest nominees 3|third-youngest]] nominee for the latter.<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 February 2006 |title=The Nominees: Keira Knightley |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-nominees-keira-knightley-15-02-2006/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005130406/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/15/oscar/main1321171.shtml |archive-date=5 October 2008}}</ref> Knightley's consecutive successes came with increased media scrutiny, and she later admitted to experiencing struggles with her mental health during this period.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mottram |first=James |date=March 2019 |title=Keira Knightley interview: 'I've got a f**k it button. Sometimes it gets pushed' |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/keira-knightley-interview-the-aftermath-colette-264289 |access-date=6 April 2021 |website=iNews |archive-date=16 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316103004/https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/keira-knightley-interview-the-aftermath-colette-264289 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Keira Knightley 07.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Knightley at the premiere of ''[[Atonement (2007 film)|Atonement]]'' held at the [[Odeon Luxe Leicester Square|Odeon Leicester Square]] in London on 4 September 2007]]

Knightley was invited to join the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]], among other artists in 2006.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Unger |first=Leslie |date=5 July 2006 |title=Academy Invites 120 to Membership |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |url=http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2006/06.07.01a.html |access-date=20 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080428204343/http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2006/06.07.01a.html |archive-date=28 April 2008}}</ref> In 2004, the second and third films of the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' series were conceived, with screenwriters [[Ted Elliott (screenwriter)|Ted Elliott]] and [[Terry Rossio]] developing a story arc that would span both sequels, in which Knightley reprised her role as Elizabeth Swann. The plot of the films see Swann buck convention to seek adventure and become fierce pirate and fighter to match the skills of Sparrow and her love interest, Turner.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Romain |first=Lindsey |title=Elizabeth Swann Is Disney's Most Radical Heroine |url=https://nerdist.com/article/elizabeth-swann-pirates-of-the-caribbean-disneys-radical-heroine/ |access-date=6 April 2021 |website=Nerdist |archive-date=11 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211022104/https://nerdist.com/article/elizabeth-swann-pirates-of-the-caribbean-disneys-radical-heroine/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The sequel installments allowed Knightley to study sword-fighting, which she had sought to do since the first film.<ref name="presskit" /> Filming for the projects took place in 2005; ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest]]'' released in July 2006, with the worldwide collections of $1.066 billion, becoming the biggest financial hit of Knightley's career.<ref name="bombio">{{Cite web |title=Keira Knightley |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Actor&id=keiraknightley.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218092138/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Actor&id=keiraknightley.htm |archive-date=18 December 2008 |access-date=20 October 2008 |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> The third installment in the series, ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End]]'', was released in May, the following year.<ref name="BoxOfficeMojo">{{Cite web |title=Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=piratesofthecaribbean3.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211185656/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=piratesofthecaribbean3.htm |archive-date=11 February 2009 |access-date=3 May 2017 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> A.&nbsp;O Scott termed her performance "a vision of imperial British pluckiness, with an intriguing dash of romantic recklessness that surfaces toward the end".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=A.O |date=7 July 2006 |title='Pirates of the Caribbean': Eat My Jetsam, Davy Jones |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/07/movies/07pira.html |access-date=6 April 2021 |archive-date=17 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017233554/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/07/movies/07pira.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2006, it was reported that Knightley didn't want to participate in any further sequels.<ref name="IGN 2006">[https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/10/keira-talks-pirates-future Keira Talks Pirates Future - IGN]</ref> By 2010, both Knightley and Orlando Bloom had repeatedly been quoted in saying they wanted to move on.<ref>[http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a167601/orlando-bloom-turns-down-pirates-4.html Orlando Bloom 'turns down Pirates 4' - Movies News - Digital Spy]</ref><ref>[http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/three-pirates-enough-for-keira-26642996.html Three Pirates enough for Keira - Independent.ie]</ref><ref name="Uproxx 2011">{{Cite web |date=12 September 2011 |title=Even Johnny Depp couldn't convince Keira Knightley to do another "Pirates of the Caribbean" |url=http://uproxx.com/hitfix/even-johnny-depp-couldnt-convince-keira-knightley-to-do-another-pirates-of-the-caribbean/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606133653/http://uproxx.com/hitfix/even-johnny-depp-couldnt-convince-keira-knightley-to-do-another-pirates-of-the-caribbean/ |archive-date=6 June 2017 |publisher=Uproxx.com}}</ref>

Knightley's continued association with period dramas yielded varying results, as seen with two of her 2007 releases, [[François Girard]]'s ''[[Silk (2007 film)|Silk]]'', and [[Joe Wright]]'s ''[[Atonement (2007 film)|Atonement]]'', the feature film adaptations of the novels by [[Alessandro Baricco]] and [[Ian McEwan]] respectively.<ref name="atonement">{{Cite web |date=30 June 2006 |title=Keira Knightley's 'Atonement' for Focus Features |url=http://www.killermovies.com/a/atonement/articles/6306.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080904213620/http://www.killermovies.com/a/atonement/articles/6306.html |archive-date=4 September 2008 |access-date=25 August 2008 |publisher=KillerMovies}}</ref> The former project failed at the box office, while the latter became a critical and commercial success. Knightley played Cecilia Tallis, the elder of the two [[Atonement (novel)#Main characters|Tallis sisters]], who struggles with a wartime romance with her love interest, played by [[James McAvoy]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 December 2007 |title=Atonement |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/atonement |access-date=6 April 2021 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |archive-date=12 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512035425/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/atonement/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She admitted that the pacing on the smaller, more intimate film was an adjustment compared to the ''Pirates'' franchise.<ref name="collider01" /> In preparing for the film, Knightley studied [[Atonement (novel)|the novel]] as well as the "naturalism" of the performance as seen in films from the 1930s and 1940s, such as ''[[In Which We Serve]]'' (1942) and ''[[Brief Encounter]]'' (1945).<ref name="WildAbout">{{Cite web |title=Behind-the-Scenes of 'Atonement' |url=http://www.wildaboutmovies.com/movies/AtonementMovie-AtonementTrailer-KeiraKnightleyJamesMcAvoy-FocusFeatures-2008AcademyAwar.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071229070302/http://www.wildaboutmovies.com/movies/AtonementMovie-AtonementTrailer-KeiraKnightleyJamesMcAvoy-FocusFeatures-2008AcademyAwar.php |archive-date=29 December 2007 |access-date=18 June 2017 |publisher=Wild About Movies}}</ref><ref name="collider01">{{Cite web |last=Weintraub |first=Steve |date=12 December 2007 |title=Keira Knightley Interview – Atonement |url=https://collider.com/keira-knightley-interview-atonement/ |access-date=6 April 2021 |website=Collider |archive-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125215039/https://collider.com/keira-knightley-interview-atonement/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She admired the multi-layered and "fascinating" nature of her character's behaviour.<ref>{{Cite web |last=St. Jacobs |first=Jay |title=James McAvoy and Keira Knightley |url=http://www.popentertainment.com/mcavoyknightley.htm |access-date=6 April 2021 |website=Pop Entertainment |archive-date=10 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510144359/http://www.popentertainment.com/mcavoyknightley.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Knightley's performance won the [[13th Empire Awards#Winners and nominees|Empire Award for Best Actress]],<ref name="Best Actress">{{Cite web |year=2008 |title=Best Actress |url=http://www.empireonline.com/awards2008/winners/actress.asp |access-date=September 15, 2011 |website=[[Empireonline.com]] |publisher=[[Bauer Consumer Media]] |archive-date=16 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916060425/http://www.empireonline.com/awards2008/winners/actress.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> and earned her nominations for the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|BAFTA]] and the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama|Golden Globes awards]], also in the leading actress categories.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 February 2008 |title=Bafta Film Awards 2008: The winners |publisher=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7191143.stm |access-date=20 August 2011 |archive-date=10 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110155545/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7191143.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The critic [[Richard Roeper]], who thought the lead duo were "superb" in their respective roles, was puzzled by their failure to receive Academy Award nominations.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roeper |first=Richard |date=20 February 2008 |title=Live Oscar Chat with Richard Roeper |work=Ebert & Roeper |publisher=Buena Vista Entertainment |url=http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/ebertandroeper/chat/transcript-roeper-080220.html |access-date=20 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528171235/http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/ebertandroeper/chat/transcript-roeper-080220.html |archive-date=28 May 2008}}</ref> The [[Green dress of Keira Knightley|green dress]] worn by Knightley during the film's climactic scene garnered substantive press attention, and was subsequently regarded as one of the greatest costumes in film history.<ref name="ew">{{Cite magazine |last=Canfield |first=David |title=Atonement 10th anniversary: The inside story on that iconic green dress |url=https://ew.com/movies/2017/12/07/atonement-10th-anniversary-green-dress/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=21 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McDermott |first=Kerry |date=30 November 2020 |title=8 Of The Most Unforgettable Green Dresses In Film |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/gallery/green-dresses-in-films |access-date=21 October 2021 |website=British Vogue |archive-date=21 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021073117/https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/gallery/green-dresses-in-films |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="guardian">{{Cite web |last=Luigi |first=Emanuele |date=5 February 2008 |title=Atonement's green dress deserves all the accolades |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2008/feb/05/atonementsgreendressdeserve |access-date=21 October 2021 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=11 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211230253/https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2008/feb/05/atonementsgreendressdeserve |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== 2008–2013: Independent films and stage work ===
Knightley appeared alongside [[Sienna Miller]], [[Cillian Murphy]], and [[Matthew Rhys]] in [[John Maybury]]'s 2008 wartime drama ''[[The Edge of Love]]''. The film had her play the role of Vera Phillips, a childhood friend of Welsh poet [[Dylan Thomas]] and his wife [[Caitlin Macnamara]]. Knightley wrote the script with her mother, [[Sharman Macdonald]], with Macnamara in mind.<ref name="teol-independent">{{Cite news |date=19 June 2012 |title=Interview: Keira Knightley hits a high note in her latest role |work=[[The Independent]] |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/interview-keira-knightley-hits-a-high-note-in-her-latest-role-849926.html |url-status=live |access-date=20 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214164042/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/interview-keira-knightley-hits-a-high-note-in-her-latest-role-849926.html |archive-date=14 December 2013}}</ref> After Knightley signed on, her character's role was increased with the film focusing on her romance with a British soldier.<ref name="teol-independent" /> Knightley connected to Vera's quietness, and described her as "tragic and beautiful".<ref name="teol-independent" /> She based her performance on [[Marlene Dietrich]], and was to mime to her prerecorded voice, before being told by Maybury to sing live. Knightley initially felt embarrassed to do so, saying she "[shook] like a leaf" but eventually went through with the plan.<ref name="teol-independent" /> Upon release, the film became a moderate critical and commercial success.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 July 2009 |title=The Edge of Love |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/edge_of_love/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127154316/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/edge_of_love/ |archive-date=27 November 2012 |access-date=20 November 2012 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}<br />- {{Cite web |title=The Edge of Love |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2008/BTOLV.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026085842/http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2008/BTOLV.php |archive-date=26 October 2012 |access-date=20 November 2012 |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]}}</ref> Knightley's performance and singing abilities were praised;''[[The Independent]]'' noted that Knightley "gives Vera an independence and complexity that's aeons ahead", while the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote "the film belongs to the women, with Knightley going from strength to strength (and showing she can sing!)".<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 September 2008 |title=Oscars contenders break loose at the Toronto Film Festival |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2008/09/toronto-festi-1.html |url-status=live |access-date=20 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019062157/http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2008/09/toronto-festi-1.html |archive-date=19 October 2008}}<br />- {{Cite web |last=Bennett |first=Ray |date=17 June 2008 |title=Film Review: The Edge of Love |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?rid=11261 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090812065951/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?rid=11261 |archive-date=12 August 2009 |access-date=27 June 2017 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref>

[[File:Thomas Gainsborough Lady Georgiana Cavendish.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Knightley received critical acclaim for her portrayal of 18th-century aristocrat [[Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire|Georgiana Cavendish]] in ''[[The Duchess (film)|The Duchess]]'' (2008)]]

Knightley then starred as the 18th-century [[British nobility|English aristocrat]] [[Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire]] in [[Saul Dibb]]'s period drama ''[[The Duchess (film)|The Duchess]]'' (2008), based on the best-selling biographical novel, ''Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire'' by [[Amanda Foreman (historian)|Amanda Foreman]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amanda Foreman, Historian and Author of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire |url=http://www.amanda-foreman.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014025508/http://www.amanda-foreman.com/ |archive-date=14 October 2008 |access-date=20 October 2008 |publisher=Amanda-foreman.com}}<br />- {{Cite magazine |date=29 August 2008 |title=2008 Fall Movie Guide: Preview: ''The Duchess'' |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20219070_20219072_20218882,00.html |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |page=50 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009190431/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20219070_20219072_20218882,00.html |archive-date=9 October 2008 |access-date=2 October 2008 |df=dmy-all}}<br />- {{Cite web |date=19 September 2008 |title=The Duchess – Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures |url=https://rottentomatoes.com/m/10009493-duchess/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121121022536/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009493-duchess/ |archive-date=21 November 2012 |access-date=20 November 2012 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref> The film tells the story of Georgiana's rise in society as a sociopolitical tastemaker after her marriage disintegrates.<ref>{{Cite web |title=On-set report: The Duchess Telegraph article on the filming of The Duchess |url=https://www.dramandaforeman.com/the-duchess-movie-by-amanda-foreman/on-set-report-the-duchess-telegraph-article-on-the-filming-of-the-duchess/ |access-date=7 April 2021 |website=Amanda Foreman |archive-date=15 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515010651/https://www.dramandaforeman.com/the-duchess-movie-by-amanda-foreman/on-set-report-the-duchess-telegraph-article-on-the-filming-of-the-duchess/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The script Knightley was sent was covered in "huge white ostrich feathers" and a gold ribbon.<ref name="ttduchess" /> [[Gabrielle Tana]], the film's producer, stated Knightley "brought an instinctive understanding" of such aspects of Georgiana's life as a celebrity from her own experiences.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kantrowitzsept |first=Barbara |date=4 September 2008 |title=Once Upon a Time, a Spencer Married Well, Not Wisely |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/movies/moviesspecial/07kant.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106044912/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/movies/moviesspecial/07kant.html |archive-date=6 January 2018 |access-date=17 March 2018 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Knightley was attracted to her character's strength and status as a political influence and fashion prowess, while being inwardly vulnerable and isolated.<ref name="ttduchess">{{Cite web |last=Fischer |first=Paul |title=Keira Knightley The Duchess Interview |url=https://www.female.com.au/keira-knightley-the-duchess-interview.htm |access-date=7 April 2021 |website=Female.com.au |archive-date=4 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304025549/https://www.female.com.au/keira-knightley-the-duchess-interview.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Simon Crooke of ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' described her performance as "an enigmatic, free-spirited turn and a role she'll be remembered for, probably her best role to date in a film not directed by [[Joe Wright]]."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Crook |first=Simone |title=The Duchess Review |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/duchess-review/ |access-date=7 April 2021 |website=Empire |date=28 August 2008 |archive-date=10 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510151405/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/duchess-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The following year, she was nominated for a [[BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film|British Independent Film Award for Best Actress]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 October 2010 |title=Winners and Nominations – The Awards 2010 |url=https://www.bifa.film/awards/2010/winners-nominations/ |access-date=25 August 2021 |website=British Independent Film Awards |archive-date=31 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031094713/https://www.bifa.film/awards/2010/winners-nominations/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A film adaptation of [[William Shakespeare]]'s tragedy ''[[King Lear]]'' set to star Knightley and [[Anthony Hopkins]] was cancelled due to [[recession]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Planned Keira Knightley version of King Lear cancelled |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/4807598/Planned-Keira-Knightley-version-of-King-Lear-cancelled.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222133621/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/4807598/Planned-Keira-Knightley-version-of-King-Lear-cancelled.html |archive-date=22 December 2016 |website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|date=26 February 2009 }}</ref>

Knightley made her [[West End theatre|West End]] debut with [[Martin Crimp]]'s version of [[Molière]]'s comedy ''[[The Misanthrope]]''. Starring Knightley, [[Damian Lewis]], [[Tara Fitzgerald]], and [[Dominic Rowan]], the play was staged at the [[Harold Pinter Theatre|Comedy Theatre]] in December 2009. She portrayed Jennifer, a shallow, amorous, and vulnerable American film star who is courted by an analytical and veracious playwright.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Siers |first=Aleks |date=17 December 2009 |title=The Misanthrope, Comedy Theatre |url=https://theartsdesk.com/theatre/misanthrope-comedy-theatre |access-date=7 April 2021 |website=[[The Arts Desk]] |archive-date=11 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411121608/https://theartsdesk.com/theatre/misanthrope-comedy-theatre |url-status=live }}</ref> Knightley chose the role as she felt that "if I don't do theatre right now, I think I'm going to start being too terrified to do it" and described the production as an "extraordinary and incredibly fulfilling" experience, she was sceptical of her performance.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=Rebecca |date=16 December 2009 |title=Knightley's fear over stage debut |work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8414874.stm |url-status=live |access-date=17 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703062704/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8414874.stm |archive-date=3 July 2016}}</ref> Paul Taylor of ''[[The Independent]]'' remarked that Knightley was "not only strikingly convincing, but, at times, rather thrilling in its satiric aplomb".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spencer |first=Charles |date=17 December 2009 |title=Keira Knightley in The Misanthrope at the Comedy Theatre, review |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/6838663/The-Misanthrope-at-the-Comedy-Theatre-review.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105115011/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/6838663/The-Misanthrope-at-the-Comedy-Theatre-review.html |archive-date=5 January 2018 |access-date=17 March 2018 |website=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}<br />{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Paul |date=18 December 2009 |title=First Night: The Misanthrope, Comedy Theatre, London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/first-night-the-misanthrope-comedy-theatre-london-1844370.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100307015148/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/first-night-the-misanthrope-comedy-theatre-london-1844370.html |archive-date=7 March 2010 |access-date=7 March 2010 |website=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> However, ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'}}s Michael Billington noted that due to the nature of the role, "one could say that she is not unduly stretched".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Billington |first=Michael |date=18 December 2009 |title=The Misanthrope |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/dec/18/the-misanthrope-keira-knightley-theatre |url-status=live |access-date=7 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219210122/http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/dec/18/the-misanthrope-keira-knightley-theatre |archive-date=19 December 2013}}</ref> In recognition of her theatre debut, Knightley was nominated for the [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role]] and an [[Evening Standard Award|''Evening Standard'' Award]].<ref name="Los Angeles Times">{{Cite news |date=25 October 2010 |title=Gold Derby nuggets: SAG Awards sets calendar – Evening Standard long list includes budding stage star Keira Knightley |work=Los Angeles Times |url=http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2010/10/gold-derby-nuggets-5.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105105626/http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2010/10/gold-derby-nuggets-5.html |archive-date=5 January 2016 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Knightley began the new decade with three films; she remarked that her work during this period helped her "empathise with people or with situations that I don't necessarily find it easy to empathise with".<ref name="fame">{{Cite web |date=29 January 2011 |title=Keira Knightley: 'I didn't feel I deserved my success' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jan/30/keira-knightley-interview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327213113/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jan/30/keira-knightley-interview |archive-date=27 March 2018 |access-date=27 March 2018 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Two of the productions, [[Massy Tadjedin]]'s romantic drama ''[[Last Night (2010 film)|Last Night]]'' and [[William Monahan]]'s crime noir film ''[[London Boulevard]]'' opened to mixed responses from critics and rank among the lowest-grossing films in Knightley's career.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 May 2011 |title=Last Night (2010) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1211199_last_night |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171129083344/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1211199_last_night |archive-date=29 November 2017 |access-date=23 March 2018 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}<br />- {{Cite web |date=11 November 2011 |title=London Boulevard (2010) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/london_boulevard |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171128042909/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/london_boulevard |archive-date=28 November 2017 |access-date=23 March 2018 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref><ref name="bombio" /> Knightley's other release, ''[[Never Let Me Go (2010 film)|Never Let Me Go]]'', an adaptation of [[Kazuo Ishiguro]]'s [[Never Let Me Go (novel)|novel of the same name]] fared better at the box office and received positive reviews. Knightley described the script as unique, one that made the reader think.<ref name="fame" /> Co-starring [[Andrew Garfield]] and [[Carey Mulligan]], Knightley played Ruth, one of three graduates of an autocratic boarding school that discovers their fates in a [[dystopia]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Jaafar |first1=Ali |last2=Siegel |first2=Tatiana |date=1 March 2009 |title=Keira Knightley set for 'Never' |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/keira-knightley-set-for-never-1118000704/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611235433/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118000704.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2563 |archive-date=11 June 2009}}<br />- {{Cite web |date=16 April 2009 |title=Keira Knightley is all smiles on set in Clevedon |url=http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/clevedon/news/Keira-Knightley-smiles-set-Clevedon/article-933789-detail/article.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515014120/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/clevedon/news/Keira-Knightley-smiles-set-Clevedon/article-933789-detail/article.html |archive-date=15 May 2009 |access-date=24 April 2009 |publisher=Thisissomerset.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Jenkins |first=Mark |date=14 September 2010 |title=In A Dystopian Britain, Teens Grope Toward A Future |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129838461 |access-date=7 April 2021 |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422003957/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129838461 |url-status=live }}</ref> She appeared in a [[video installation]] by artist [[Stuart Pearson Wright]] titled ''Maze''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Renaissance Woman |url=https://www.nowness.com/story/renaissance-woman |access-date=25 August 2021 |website=Nowness |archive-date=25 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825211117/https://www.nowness.com/story/renaissance-woman |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Keira Knightley at the premiere of A Dangerous Method, Toronto Film Festival 2011.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Knightley attending the premiere of ''[[A Dangerous Method]]'' at the [[2011 Toronto International Film Festival]]]]

Knightley starred in a 2011 revival of ''[[The Children's Hour (play)|The Children's Hour]]'' by [[Lillian Hellman]] at the [[Harold Pinter Theatre|Comedy Theatre]] in London.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 February 2011 |title=Keira Knightley 'wins spurs' with West End stage return |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12414889 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211073802/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12414889 |archive-date=11 February 2011 |access-date=11 February 2011 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> She portrayed Karen Wright, an engaged schoolteacher accused of lesbianism in 1934.<ref name="childrenshour">{{Cite news |last=Brantley |first=Ben |date=23 February 2011 |title=All Over London, Love Hurts |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/theater/27london.html |access-date=7 April 2021 |archive-date=9 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509050405/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/theater/27london.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Ben Brantley of ''The New York Times'' commented that her performance showed an "intensity" and "credible fierceness" within the outdated material.<ref name="childrenshour" /> Knightley's sole film release of 2011 was [[David Cronenberg]]'s historical drama ''[[A Dangerous Method]]'', co-starring [[Viggo Mortensen]], [[Michael Fassbender]], and [[Vincent Cassel]]. Based on writer [[Christopher Hampton]]'s 2002 stage play ''The Talking Cure'' and set on the eve of World War I, the film depicts the turbulent relationships between fledgling psychiatrist [[Carl Jung]], his mentor [[Sigmund Freud]] and [[Sabina Spielrein]]. Knightley portrayed Spielrein, the troubled but beautiful young [[psychoanalysis|psychoanalyst]] who comes between Jung and Freud.<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 April 2010 |title=Freud and Jung: A Meeting of Minds – Features, Films |work=The Independent |location=UK |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/freud-and-jung-a-meeting-of-minds-1952986.html |url-status=live |access-date=8 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100427010506/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/freud-and-jung-a-meeting-of-minds-1952986.html |archive-date=27 April 2010}}</ref> Knightley spent four months reading and discussing her character's behaviour with psychologists to prepare for the role.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hubert |first=Craig |date=21 November 2011 |title=The Knightley Courageous |url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/keira-knightley-a-dangerous-method |access-date=7 April 2021 |website=[[Interview (magazine)|Interview Magazine]] |archive-date=25 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925134901/https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/keira-knightley-a-dangerous-method |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jagernauth |first=Kevin |date=11 January 2012 |title=Keira Knightley Talks "High Energy" Role In 'A Dangerous Method' & Joe Wright's "Theatrical" Take On 'Anna Karenina' |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2012/01/keira-knightley-talks-high-energy-role-in-a-dangerous-method-joe-wrights-theatrical-take-on-anna-karenina-254394/ |access-date=7 April 2021 |website=IndieWire |archive-date=3 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803134303/https://www.indiewire.com/2012/01/keira-knightley-talks-high-energy-role-in-a-dangerous-method-joe-wrights-theatrical-take-on-anna-karenina-254394/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She appreciated the depth and variety of her character arc, which she viewed as rare for female roles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Buchanan |first=Kyle |date=17 November 2011 |title=Keira Knightley on Understanding S&M, But Not Quite Understanding Zombies |url=https://www.vulture.com/2011/11/keira-knightley-interview-dangerous-method.html |access-date=7 April 2021 |website=Vulture |archive-date=15 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615091843/https://www.vulture.com/2011/11/keira-knightley-interview-dangerous-method.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The film premiered at the [[68th Venice International Film Festival]] to a positive reception, while Knightley earned generally favourable reviews by critics, with Andrew O'Hehir of ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]'' hailing her as "the real star of this film".<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Hehir |first=Andrew |date=10 September 2011 |title=Knightley and Fassbender steam up "Dangerous Method" |url=http://www.salon.com/2011/09/09/dangerous_method/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124200338/http://www.salon.com/2011/09/09/dangerous_method/ |archive-date=24 November 2011 |access-date=17 November 2011 |website=Salon}}</ref>

Knightley co-starred with [[Steve Carell]] in the 2012 comedy-drama ''[[Seeking a Friend for the End of the World]]'', which was critically panned.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 June 2012 |title=Seeking a Friend For the End of the World |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/seeking_a_friend_for_the_end_of_the_world |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=7 April 2021 |archive-date=26 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126091403/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/seeking_a_friend_for_the_end_of_the_world |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Handy |first=Bruce |date=22 June 2012 |title=Seeking a Friend for the End of the World: The Worst Movie of Its Generation |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/06/seeking-a-friend-for-the-end-of-the-world-movie-review |magazine=Vanity Fair |access-date=7 April 2021}}</ref> Later that year, she reunited with director [[Joe Wright]] to film their third production, ''[[Anna Karenina (2012 film)|Anna Karenina]]'', in which she starred as the title character.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nigel M Smith |date=18 August 2011 |title=Andrea Riseborough Talks Madonna, RADA and "Brighton Rock": What's Next |publisher=[[IndieWire]] |url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/2011/08/18/futures_brighton_rocks_andrea_riseborough_talks_madonna_rada_and_her_slew_o |url-status=dead |access-date=23 August 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103123410/http://www.indiewire.com/article/2011/08/18/futures_brighton_rocks_andrea_riseborough_talks_madonna_rada_and_her_slew_o |archive-date=3 January 2013}}</ref> She deemed this collaboration the most important of her career.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://guru.bafta.org/in-focus-acting-vol-2|title=In Focus: Acting, Vol. 2|publisher=[[BAFTA]] Guru|date=15 May 2015|access-date=18 August 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905123329/http://guru.bafta.org/in-focus-acting-vol-2|archive-date=5 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="collideanna">{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Sheila |date=15 November 2012 |title=Keira Knightley Talks Anna Karena, Director Joe Wright's Bold Vision, Moving Away from Dark Period Pieces, Jack Ryan, and More |url=https://collider.com/keira-knightley-anna-karenina-interview/ |access-date=7 April 2021 |website=Collider |archive-date=8 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608032133/https://collider.com/keira-knightley-anna-karenina-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Knightley viewed that her character's complex "moral culpability" was in question, but attracted compassion.<ref name="collideanna" /> Knightley received positive reviews for her performance, prompting early Oscar buzz.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rosen |first=Christopher |date=9 July 2012 |title='Anna Karenina' Reviews: Keira Knightley Gets Raves For New Adaptation, But What About The Film? |work=[[The Huffington Post]] |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/07/anna-karenina-reviews-keira-knightley_n_1864030.html |url-status=live |access-date=10 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910023626/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/07/anna-karenina-reviews-keira-knightley_n_1864030.html |archive-date=10 September 2012}}</ref> Batsy Sharky of the ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote that Knightley "puts hearts and anguish on the line in trying to bring an emotional reality".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharkey |first=Betsy |date=15 November 2012 |title=Anna Karenina' review: Joe Wright's artifice overshadows actors |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-nov-15-la-et-mn-anna-karenina-review-20121116-story.html |access-date=7 April 2021 |website=Los Angeles Times |archive-date=14 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514022302/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-nov-15-la-et-mn-anna-karenina-review-20121116-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[2013 Toronto International Film Festival]] saw the premiere of Knightley's first musical film ''[[Begin Again (film)|Begin Again]]'' with [[Mark Ruffalo]]. Directed by [[John Carney (director)|John Carney]], the film had its theatrical release in 2014. ''The Guardian'' found Knightley and Ruffalo to be "nicely natural as the increasingly idealistic musos".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kermode |first=Mark |date=12 July 2014 |title=Begin Again review – ramshackle charm |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/13/begin-again-review-ramshackle-charm-john-varney |access-date=7 April 2021 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=13 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113013155/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/13/begin-again-review-ramshackle-charm-john-varney |url-status=live }}</ref> Carney later repeatedly criticised Knightley's performance in the film, saying she was not convincing enough in portraying a singer-songwriter and derogatorily referred to her as a "model".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bray |first=Elisa |date=28 May 2016 |title=John Carney: 'I'll never make a film with supermodels again' |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/john-carney-i-ll-never-make-a-film-with-supermodels-again-once-sing-street-interview-keira-knightley-a7053076.html |url-status=live |access-date=30 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530072215/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/john-carney-i-ll-never-make-a-film-with-supermodels-again-once-sing-street-interview-keira-knightley-a7053076.html |archive-date=30 May 2016}}</ref> He later apologised to her via Twitter for his comments.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 2016 |title=Begin Again director apologises to Keira Knightley: "I'm ashamed of myself" |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/01/john-carney-keira-knightley-apology-begin-again-comments |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011022157/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/01/john-carney-keira-knightley-apology-begin-again-comments |archive-date=11 October 2016 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Knightley later remarked that music "never sinks in" for her, and she is more interested in books and drama.<ref name="Xan">{{Cite news |last=Xan Brooks |date=10 July 2014 |title=Keira Knightley: 'The criticism was tough' |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/10/keira-knightley-the-criticism-was-tough-begin-again |url-status=live |access-date=23 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111183140/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/10/keira-knightley-the-criticism-was-tough-begin-again |archive-date=11 November 2014}}</ref> Later that year, she appeared in [[Karl Lagerfeld]]'s short period film ''Once Upon a Time{{nbsp}}...''<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 May 2013 |title=Once Upon a Time… A film by Karl Lagerfeld |work=[[Vogue Paris]] |url=http://en.vogue.fr/fashion-videos/fashion-story/videos/once-upon-a-time-film-karl-lagerfeld-chanel/6904 |url-status=live |access-date=26 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427010336/http://en.vogue.fr/fashion-videos/fashion-story/videos/once-upon-a-time-film-karl-lagerfeld-chanel/6904 |archive-date=27 April 2017}}</ref>

=== 2014–present: Biographical and political roles ===
In July 2014, Knightley stated that she had reached the end of the first stage of her career, and wished to depart from "neurotic" roles.<ref name="Xan" /> 2014 began for Knightley with the spy thriller ''[[Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit]]'', the fifth instalment in the [[Jack Ryan (film series)|film series]], alongside [[Chris Pine]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Taylor |first=Drew |date=17 January 2014 |title=10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Jack Ryan |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/01/jack-ryan-10-things-you-didnt-know |url-status=live |magazine=Vanity Fair |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422042957/http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/01/jack-ryan-10-things-you-didnt-know |archive-date=22 April 2017 |access-date=25 April 2017}}</ref> She portrayed Dr. Cathy Muller, Ryan's eventual wife. Knightley sought to do a lighter film than her previous work, looked forward to working with director [[Kenneth Branagh]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lammers |first=Tim |date=17 June 2014 |title=Interview: Keira Knightley Talks 'Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit' |url=http://directconversations.com/2014/06/17/interview-keira-knightley-talks-jack-ryan-shadow-recruit/ |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=DirectConversations.com |archive-date=9 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209015000/http://directconversations.com/2014/06/17/interview-keira-knightley-talks-jack-ryan-shadow-recruit/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The film received mixed critical reviews nonetheless strong box-office response.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 January 2014 |title=Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2013) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jack_ryan_shadow_recruit/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140210061220/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jack_ryan_shadow_recruit/ |archive-date=10 February 2014 |access-date=10 February 2014 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}<br />- {{Cite web |title=Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=jackryan.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812015853/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=jackryan.htm |archive-date=12 August 2014 |access-date=24 March 2014 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> Knightley's next film ''[[Laggies]]'', premiered at the [[2014 Sundance Film Festival]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 January 2014 |title=Sundance 2014: World Cinema Dramatic Competition |work=IndieWire |url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/sundance-2014-world-cinema-dramatic-competition |url-status=live |access-date=5 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329083150/http://www.indiewire.com/article/sundance-2014-world-cinema-dramatic-competition |archive-date=29 March 2014}}</ref> A romantic comedy also starring [[Chloë Grace Moretz]] and [[Sam Rockwell]], the film follows the life of Megan, played by Knightley, a 28-year-old overeducated underachiever going through a [[quarter-life crisis]]. Knightley empathised with her character's delayed maturity and appreciated the film's telling from a female perspective.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barna |first=Daniel |title=Keira Knightley Still Doesn't Feel Like A Grown-Up |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2014/10/76618/keira-knightley-laggies-interview |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=[[Refinery29]] |archive-date=4 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204031057/https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2014/10/76618/keira-knightley-laggies-interview |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Laggies'' opened to mostly positive reviews from critics, with Knightley's performance praised by critics.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 October 2014 |title=Laggies (2014) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/laggies/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425030656/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/laggies/ |archive-date=25 April 2017 |access-date=24 April 2017 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> Inkoo Kaang of ''[[TheWrap]]'' referred to her as a "loose-limbed revelation" and lauded her "delightfully uncouth" performance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kang |first=Inkoo |date=20 October 2014 |title='Laggies' Review: Keira Knightley and Chloe Grace Moretz Star in an Exceptional Comedy |url=https://www.thewrap.com/laggies-review-keira-knightley-chloe-grace-moretz-sam-rockwell/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425032057/http://www.thewrap.com/laggies-review-keira-knightley-chloe-grace-moretz-sam-rockwell/ |archive-date=25 April 2017 |access-date=24 April 2017 |website=TheWrap}}</ref>

The film was followed by her appearance in [[Morten Tyldum]]'s historical drama ''[[The Imitation Game]]'', a film based on the life of British mathematician [[Alan Turing]], played by [[Benedict Cumberbatch]]. Knightley portrayed [[cryptanalyst]] and [[numismatist]] [[Joan Clarke]], who decrypted German intelligence codes for the British government during World War II with Turing.<ref name="turing">{{Cite news |last=Chilton |first=Martin |date=15 January 2015 |title=Oscar nominated Keira Knightley on The Imitation Game |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/11348200/Oscar-nominated-Keira-Knightley-on-The-Imitation-Game.html |url-status=live |access-date=23 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424085412/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/11348200/Oscar-nominated-Keira-Knightley-on-The-Imitation-Game.html |archive-date=24 April 2017}}</ref> Knightley researched interviews with Clarke, and sought to keep her "upper-class quality", drawing on the depth of her emotions and protectiveness of Turing from the script.<ref name="conductvogue">{{Cite web |last=Kilcooley-O'Halloran |first=Scarlett |date=31 October 2014 |title=Keira's Code Of Conduct |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/keira-knightley-the-imitation-game-interview |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=British Vogue |archive-date=24 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124165930/https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/keira-knightley-the-imitation-game-interview |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Imitation Game'' became a critical and commercial success grossing over $233.6 million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Ashley |date=28 November 2014 |title='The Imitation Game': What the Critics Are Saying |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/imitation-game-review-what-critics-752346 |url-status=live |access-date=23 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424001310/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/imitation-game-review-what-critics-752346 |archive-date=24 April 2017}}<br />- {{Cite web |title=The Imitation Game (2014) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=imitationgame.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015024058/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=imitationgame.htm |archive-date=15 October 2014 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> For her performance, Knightley received her second [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Academy Award]] and [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role|BAFTA Award]] nominations, and third [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture|Golden Globe Award]] nomination, all for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.<ref name="turing" /> Conversely, Lady Jean Forde, who worked with Clarke and Turing, felt Knightley was "nothing like" Clarke and was "too beautiful" to play her.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Buchanan |first=Rose Troup |date=27 May 2015 |title=Keira Knightley too beautiful to play codebreaker Joan Clarke says former colleague: 'She looked like the back end of a bus' |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/keira-knightley-too-beautiful-to-play-codebreaker-joan-clarke-says-former-colleague-she-looked-like-10278601.html |url-status=live |access-date=23 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424011729/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/keira-knightley-too-beautiful-to-play-codebreaker-joan-clarke-says-former-colleague-she-looked-like-10278601.html |archive-date=24 April 2017}}</ref>

Knightley's sole release in 2015 was as part of the ensemble cast in the biographical disaster film ''[[Everest (2015 film)|Everest]]''. The film was based on the [[1996 Mount Everest disaster]] with Knightley portraying [[mountaineer]] [[Rob Hall]]'s wife.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Travers |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Travers |date=17 September 2015 |title=Everest |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/everest-20150917 |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516163333/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/everest-20150917 |archive-date=16 May 2017 |access-date=23 April 2017}}</ref> ''Everest'' opened to generally positive reviews from critics.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Everest (2015) |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/everest |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170515153624/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/everest |archive-date=15 May 2017 |access-date=23 April 2017 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref> ''Variety'' wrote that Knightley gave a "deeply felt performance" as a woman "haunted by the possibility" of losing her spouse.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chang |first=Justin |date=2 September 2015 |title=Venice Film Review: 'Everest' |url=https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/everest-review-venice-film-festival-1201581706/ |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=Variety |archive-date=2 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150902172053/https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/everest-review-venice-film-festival-1201581706/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In October 2015, Knightley made her Broadway debut playing the title role in [[Helen Edmundson]]'s adaptation of [[Émile Zola]]'s ''[[Thérèse Raquin]]'' at [[Studio 54]].<ref name="nyt54">{{Cite news |last=McKinley |first=Jesse |date=25 October 2015 |title=Keira Knightley, Making Her Broadway Debut, Is Not Afraid of the Dark |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/theater/keira-knightley-making-her-broadway-debut-is-not-afraid-of-the-dark.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021212337/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/theater/keira-knightley-making-her-broadway-debut-is-not-afraid-of-the-dark.html |archive-date=21 October 2015}}</ref> Knightley took the role after turning down the project twice, as she thought herself incapable of playing the part. She found interest in her character's "caged" circumstance, as well as her dark, active role in the play, as she sought to depart from passive supporting roles.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McKinley |first=Jesse |date=21 October 2015 |title=Keira Knightley, Making Her Broadway Debut, Is Not Afraid of the Dark |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/theater/keira-knightley-making-her-broadway-debut-is-not-afraid-of-the-dark.html |access-date=4 May 2021 |archive-date=21 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021212337/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/theater/keira-knightley-making-her-broadway-debut-is-not-afraid-of-the-dark.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Of her performance, Alexandra Villarreal of ''The Huffington Post'' wrote: "She fumes, and rages, and withdraws, and you can watch her psychological evolution from stifled wife to impassioned mistress to haunted murderer".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Villarreal |first=Alexandra |date=29 October 2015 |title=Keira Knightley Makes Her Broadway Debut in "Thérèse Raquin" |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexandra-villarreal/keira-knightley-makes-her_b_8414710.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815081148/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexandra-villarreal/keira-knightley-makes-her_b_8414710.html |archive-date=15 August 2016 |website=The Huffington Post}}</ref>

In 2016, it emerged that Knightley was set to star in a feature biopic about 18th-century Russian empress [[Catherine the Great]], directed by [[Barbra Streisand]], which has not come to fruition.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 December 2015 |title=Barbra Streisand Directing 'Catherine the Great' Movie |work=Variety Media |url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/barbra-streisand-catherine-the-great-movie-1201653005/ |url-status=live |access-date=10 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212012840/http://variety.com/2015/film/news/barbra-streisand-catherine-the-great-movie-1201653005/ |archive-date=12 December 2015}}<br />- {{Cite news |date=17 February 2016 |title=Keira Knightley Circling Catherine the Great Biopic |work=Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/keira-knightley-circling-catherine-great-867127 |url-status=live |access-date=31 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726222047/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/keira-knightley-circling-catherine-great-867127 |archive-date=26 July 2020}}</ref> Knightley appeared in the ensemble drama ''[[Collateral Beauty]]'' (2016), alongside [[Will Smith]], [[Edward Norton]], [[Kate Winslet]], and [[Helen Mirren]].<ref name="KnightleyCast">{{Cite news |last=Kroll |first=Justin |date=9 February 2016 |title=Keira Knightley Joins Will Smith in 'Collateral Beauty' |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/keira-knightley-will-smith-collateral-beauty-1201701081/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303095637/http://variety.com/2016/film/news/keira-knightley-will-smith-collateral-beauty-1201701081/ |archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref> The film was critically panned,<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 December 2016 |title=Collateral Beauty (2016) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/collateral_beauty |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502002030/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/collateral_beauty |archive-date=2 May 2018 |access-date=28 March 2017 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]]}}<br />- {{Cite web |title=Collateral Beauty reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/collateral-beauty |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112045257/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/collateral-beauty |archive-date=12 January 2017 |access-date=13 January 2017 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref> and earned the cast a [[37th Golden Raspberry Awards|Razzie]] nomination.<ref name="SourceRazzie">{{Cite magazine |last=Derschowitz |first=Jessica |date=23 January 2017 |title=Zoolander No. 2, Batman v Superman lead 2017 Razzies nominations |url=https://ew.com/awards/2017/01/23/razzies-2017-nominations-list/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107021217/http://ew.com/awards/2017/01/23/razzies-2017-nominations-list/ |archive-date=7 November 2017 |access-date=3 November 2017}}</ref> Despite previously stating on a number of occasions that she would never return to the [[Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)|''Pirates of the Caribbean'' series]] since 2006,<ref name="IGN 2006" /><ref name="Uproxx 2011" /> Knightley reprised the role of Elizabeth Swann with a [[cameo appearance]] in 2017's ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales]]'', after test audiences repeatedly inquired about her character.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Bryan |title='Pirates of the Caribbean' uprising: How the fans demanded Keira Knightley |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2017/05/26/keira-knightley-pirates-caribbean-return-fans-demand/102201872/ |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=USA Today |archive-date=27 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627225702/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2017/05/26/keira-knightley-pirates-caribbean-return-fans-demand/102201872/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Knightley starred in the [[biographical drama]] ''[[Colette (2018 film)|Colette]]'' as the [[Colette|titular French author]]. The film sees Colette's social ascent in [[belle époque]] society through her provocative novels, but she is exploited by her husband, who plagiarises her work.<ref name="varietycolette">{{Cite web |last=Lang |first=Brent |date=16 January 2018 |title=Keira Knightley on 'Colette,' Pushing for Social Change, and if She'll Ever Direct |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/features/keira-knightley-colette-metoo-directing-1202663863/ |website=Variety |access-date=28 January 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130204348/http://variety.com/2018/film/features/keira-knightley-colette-metoo-directing-1202663863/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Knightley believed the film connected strongly to modern-day feminism, and depicted cultural change in gender politics. To prepare for the part, Knightley read Colette's novels, among them ''[[The Vagabond (novel)|The Vagabond]]'' and ''[[Chéri (novel)|Chéri]]'', and initially planned to visit her birthplace of [[Burgundy, France]]. She found the author "inspiring", and admired her imperfections as well as her courage.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=6 December 2018 |title=In 'Colette', Keira Knightley Finds The "Utterly Inspiring" Female Character She's Been Looking For |url=https://deadline.com/2018/12/colette-keira-knightley-wash-westmoreland-bleecker-street-interview-1202500678/ |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=Deadline |archive-date=18 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418152143/https://deadline.com/2018/12/colette-keira-knightley-wash-westmoreland-bleecker-street-interview-1202500678/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The film, released at the [[Sundance Film Festival]], was critically successful, with Knightley's performance receiving acclaim.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 October 2018 |title=''Colette'' (2018) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/colette_2018 |access-date=1 February 2019 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |archive-date=20 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920152449/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/colette_2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> Manohla Dargis of ''The New York Times'' praised her vibrance and "expressive physicality", and Jordan Hoffman of ''The Guardian'' wrote that the film saw Knightley in "top form: luminous, clever, sexy and sympathetic."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dargis |first=Manhola |date=20 September 2018 |title=Review: 'Colette' and One Woman's Lust for Life |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/movies/colette-review.html |access-date=4 May 2021 |archive-date=9 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509050403/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/movies/colette-review.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Jordan |date=22 January 2018 |title=Colette review – Keira Knightley is on top form in exhilarating literary biopic |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/22/colette-review-keira-knightley-is-on-top-form-in-exhilarating-literary-biopic |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=4 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204134408/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/22/colette-review-keira-knightley-is-on-top-form-in-exhilarating-literary-biopic |url-status=live }}</ref> Knightley was appointed [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the [[2018 Birthday Honours]] for services to drama and charity.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 June 2018 |title=Dalglish and Thompson head honours list |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44397682 |url-status=live |access-date=8 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180609090106/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44397682 |archive-date=9 June 2018}}</ref>

The same year, she played the [[The Nutcracker|Sugar Plum Fairy]] in Disney's adaptation of ''[[The Nutcracker]]'', titled ''[[The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018 film)|The Nutcracker and the Four Realms]]'', which was critically panned.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nigel M Smith |date=16 August 2016 |title=Keira Knightley to play Sugar Plum Fairy in Disney's The Nutcracker |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/16/keira-knightley-sugar-plum-fairy-disney-the-nutcracker |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220152010/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/16/keira-knightley-sugar-plum-fairy-disney-the-nutcracker |archive-date=20 December 2016 |access-date=21 December 2016 |website=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2 November 2018 |title=The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_nutcracker_and_the_four_realms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181110193844/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_nutcracker_and_the_four_realms/ |archive-date=10 November 2018 |access-date=11 November 2018 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}<br />- {{Cite web |title=The Nutcracker and the Four Realms reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-nutcracker-and-the-four-realms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108163955/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-nutcracker-and-the-four-realms |archive-date=8 November 2018 |access-date=10 November 2018 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}<br />- {{Cite web |date=1 November 2018 |title=The Nutcracker And The Four Realms review round-up: 'Visually spectacular but virtually soulless' |url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/the-nutcracker-and-the-four-realms-review-round-up-visually-spectacular-but-virtually-soulless-5485201.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103223202/https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/the-nutcracker-and-the-four-realms-review-round-up-visually-spectacular-but-virtually-soulless-5485201.html |archive-date=3 November 2018 |access-date=1 November 2018 |website=[[Firstpost]]}}</ref> In 2019, Knightley co-starred in ''[[The Aftermath (2019 film)|The Aftermath]]'', a film adaptation of the novel by [[Rhidian Brook]], alongside [[Alexander Skarsgård]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 August 2016 |title=Keira Knightley, Alexander Skarsgard in Talks to Star in 'Aftermath' for Fox Searchlight, Scott-Free |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/keira-knightley-alexander-skarsgard-talks-920435 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214150813/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/keira-knightley-alexander-skarsgard-talks-920435 |archive-date=14 December 2016 |access-date=21 December 2016 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=15 March 2019 |title=The Aftermath (2019) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_aftermath_2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321075712/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_aftermath_2019 |archive-date=21 March 2019 |access-date=16 March 2019 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]}}</ref> Knightley played Rachel, a "cold and complex" British army wife traumatised by her son's death by a German bomb. The film sees her and her husband move to Germany while dealing with grief.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mottram |first=James |date=March 2019 |title=Keira Knightley interview: 'I've got a f**k it button. Sometimes it gets pushed' |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/keira-knightley-interview-the-aftermath-colette-264289 |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=iNews |archive-date=7 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507162055/https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/keira-knightley-interview-the-aftermath-colette-264289 |url-status=live }}</ref> The film received mixed reviews.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="AftermathReview1">{{Cite web |last=Burr |first=Ty |date=20 March 2019 |title=Keira Knightley lights up post-WWII love triangle, 'The Aftermath' |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2019/03/20/keira-knightley-lights-post-wwii-love-triangle-the-aftermath/K5sjPuy1p1rADbvxL2k4zM/story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321021213/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2019/03/20/keira-knightley-lights-post-wwii-love-triangle-the-aftermath/K5sjPuy1p1rADbvxL2k4zM/story.html |archive-date=21 March 2019 |access-date=20 March 2019 |website=[[The Boston Globe]]}}</ref><ref name="AftermathReview2">{{Cite web |last=Walsh |first=Katie |date=14 March 2019 |title=Review: Post-World War II romantic drama 'Aftermath' lacks, well, drama and romance |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-aftermath-review-20190314-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190319230111/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-aftermath-review-20190314-story.html |archive-date=19 March 2019 |access-date=20 March 2019 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> ''[[The Boston Globe]]''{{'}}s Ty Burr credited Knightley for adding "conviction, grace, heart, and nerve" to the film,<ref name="AftermathReview1" /> while Katie Walsh of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' felt Knightley and Skarsgård were too reserved.<ref name="AftermathReview2" /> Knightley portrayed [[whistleblower]] [[Katharine Gun]] in ''[[Official Secrets (film)|Official Secrets]]'' (2019),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Galuppo |first=Mia |date=12 February 2018 |title=Keira Knightley, Matt Smith to Star in Real-Life Spy Thriller 'Official Secrets' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/keira-knightley-matt-smith-star-real-life-spy-thriller-official-secrets-1083955 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310085752/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/keira-knightley-matt-smith-star-real-life-spy-thriller-official-secrets-1083955 |archive-date=10 March 2018 |access-date=16 April 2018 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> which was premiered at the [[Sundance Film Festival]] on 28 January 2019 to positive reviews.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 November 2018 |title=Sundance 2019: Premieres Include Harvey Weinstein Docu, Mindy Kaling, Dr. Ruth, UK Spies, Miles Davis & Ted Bundy |url=https://deadline.com/2018/11/sundance-film-festival-premieres-lineup-harvey-weinstein-movie-toni-morrison-miles-davis-dr-ruth-full-list-1202510342/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321022914/https://deadline.com/2018/11/sundance-film-festival-premieres-lineup-harvey-weinstein-movie-toni-morrison-miles-davis-dr-ruth-full-list-1202510342/ |archive-date=21 March 2019 |access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref> Knightley believed the film's depiction of [[Iraq War]] and government accountability connected with modern politics.<ref name="adamsint">{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Tim |date=22 September 2019 |title=Keira Knightley: 'Iraq was the first time I'd been politically engaged' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/22/keira-knightley-interview-official-secrets-film |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=11 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511104014/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/22/keira-knightley-interview-official-secrets-film |url-status=live }}</ref> Writing for ''The Guardian'', Peter Bradshaw praised Knightley's "focused, plausible and sympathetic performance".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bradshaw |first=Peter |date=18 October 2019 |title=Official Secrets review – Keira Knightley shines as a very British whistleblower |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/18/official-secrets-review-keira-knightley-whistleblower |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=9 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609011046/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/18/official-secrets-review-keira-knightley-whistleblower |url-status=live }}</ref> Gun also expressed her contentment with the film.<ref name="Anadolu">{{Cite news |last=Kazanci, Handan |date=January 2, 2020 |title=Film on British whistleblower's life to hit Turkish theaters |agency=[[Anadolu Agency]] |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/culture/film-on-british-whistleblower-s-life-to-hit-turkish-theaters/1689861 |access-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-date=2 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102122429/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/culture/film-on-british-whistleblower-s-life-to-hit-turkish-theaters/1689861 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Knightley's first role of the decade was feminist activist [[Sally Alexander]] in ''[[Misbehaviour (film)|Misbehaviour]]'' (2020), a film about the crowning of the first black contestant at the [[Miss World 1970|1970 Miss World competition]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 October 2018 |title=Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw & Jessie Buckley To Star In Miss World Film 'Misbehaviour' For Left Bank & Pathé — AFM |url=https://deadline.com/2018/10/keira-knightley-gugu-mbatha-raw-jessie-buckley-the-crown-misbehaviour-1202484446/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321023129/https://deadline.com/2018/10/keira-knightley-gugu-mbatha-raw-jessie-buckley-the-crown-misbehaviour-1202484446/ |archive-date=21 March 2019 |access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref><ref name="SallyAlexanderSource1">{{Cite magazine |last=Gordon |first=Naomi |date=22 November 2018 |title=Keira Knightley and Keeley Hawes to star in fascinating Miss World pageant drama Misbehaviour |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/a25258733/keira-knightley-keeley-hawes-miss-world-pageant-drama-misbehaviour/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322014633/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/a25258733/keira-knightley-keeley-hawes-miss-world-pageant-drama-misbehaviour/ |archive-date=22 March 2019 |access-date=21 March 2019 |magazine=[[Harper's Bazaar]]}}</ref> The film discusses the nuances of [[intersectional feminism|intersectionality]] in [[second wave feminism]]; Knightley was drawn to the political aspects of the project.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Anne |title=Keira Knightley's New Movie Tackles The Objectification Of Women — She Knows All About That |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/09/10047487/keira-knightley-misbehaviour-movie-beauty-expectations-women |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=Refinery29 |archive-date=25 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725041050/https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/09/10047487/keira-knightley-misbehaviour-movie-beauty-expectations-women |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Misbehaviour'' was received positively,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Misbehaviour |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/misbehaviour |access-date=2020-10-10 |website=[[Metacritic]] |archive-date=4 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201004134638/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/misbehaviour |url-status=live }}</ref> with ''Variety''{{'}}s Guy Lodge dubbing Knightley "likable as ever" but admitted she portrays "the least intriguing figure".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lodge |first=Guy |date=10 March 2020 |title='Misbehaviour': Film Review |url=https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/misbehaviour-film-review-keira-knightley-gugu-mbatha-raw-1203528568/ |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=Variety |archive-date=13 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513201435/https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/misbehaviour-film-review-keira-knightley-gugu-mbatha-raw-1203528568/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Knightley was due to produce and star in ''[[The Essex Serpent (TV series)|The Essex Serpent]]'', an [[Apple TV+]] adaptation of [[Sarah Perry]]'s [[The Essex Serpent|novel]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Edwards |first=Chris |date=24 August 2020 |title=Pirates of the Caribbean star Keira Knightley lines up another big TV project |work=Digital Spy |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a33773814/keira-knightley-the-essex-serpent-apple/ |url-status=live |access-date=26 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010114442/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a33773814/keira-knightley-the-essex-serpent-apple/ |archive-date=10 October 2020}}</ref> but dropped out over concerns about access to [[childcare]] during the [[COVID-19 lockdowns|lockdown period]] of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gordon |first=Naomi |date=10 October 2020 |title=Keira Knightley pulls out of Apple TV+ series due to childcare concerns |work=Yahoo! |url=https://uk.style.yahoo.com/keira-knightley-pulls-apple-tv-092900166.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFKPuT7hCYLDkG8UMuD8XdSt--psrvnDwaUaDVY618QXOLIX1gt-Xf4meMdFyDGu0mZth574CWh0306iiKm1t8liBFx1jWTFUu-6wnWC96ud4XtPb63_gtZRf02Kmzp-UaGLK8D-Z5UJbSC9nX1qHxhtSDG3Ry4bwEWtyhM3-u9V |url-status=live |access-date=10 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010114443/https://consent.yahoo.com/v2/collectConsent?sessionId=2_cc-session_c7c37f84-0e3e-4837-a247-9ca80a70a82a |archive-date=10 October 2020}}</ref> She starred in the 2021 holiday comedy ''[[Silent Night (2021 film)|Silent Night]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 January 2020 |title=Keira Knightley Attached To Marv Films & Trudie Styler Festive Movie |url=https://deadline.com/2020/01/keira-knightley-attached-to-marv-films-trudie-styler-festive-movie-1202833657/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200117172929/https://deadline.com/2020/01/keira-knightley-attached-to-marv-films-trudie-styler-festive-movie-1202833657/ |archive-date=2020-01-17 |access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref> Knightley voiced the lead role in the dramatic animated film ''[[Charlotte (2021 film)|Charlotte]]'', a true story about a young artist during the [[Holocaust]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charlotte |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/charlotte_2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004110623/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/charlotte_2021 |archive-date=2021-10-04 |access-date=2021-10-04 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref>

Knightley took a year off work to spend time with family.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lloyd |first=Kate |date=2023-03-17 |title=Keira Knightley on Her New Movie 'Boston Strangler,' Motherhood, and Y2K Style |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/keira-knightley-boston-strangler-motherhood-y2k-style-interview |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=Vogue |archive-date=30 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430212523/https://www.vogue.com/article/keira-knightley-boston-strangler-motherhood-y2k-style-interview |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2023, she portrayed reporter [[Loretta McLaughlin]] in the crime drama film ''[[Boston Strangler (film)|Boston Strangler]]'' based on the infamous true story of [[Boston Strangler]] murders.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 October 2021 |title=Keira Knightley To Star In 20th Century Studios' 'Boston Strangler'; Scott Free, LuckyChap Producing |work=Deadline |url=https://deadline.com/2021/10/keira-knightley-boston-strangler-movie-20th-century-studios-matt-ruskin-scott-free-luckychap-producing-1234847537/ |access-date=5 October 2021 |archive-date=31 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131161101/https://deadline.com/2021/10/keira-knightley-boston-strangler-movie-20th-century-studios-matt-ruskin-scott-free-luckychap-producing-1234847537/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the following year, she starred as a spy in the [[Netflix]] thriller series ''[[Black Doves]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|date= April 26, 2023|title=Keira Knightley to Star in Netflix Series 'Black Doves' as Streamer Unveils New U.K. Productions|first= K.J.|last= Yossman|url=
https://variety.com/2023/tv/global/keira-knightley-black-doves-netflix-1235595146/|work=Variety|access-date=April 26, 2023}}</ref> For her performance, she was nominated for the [[Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series|Critics' Choice Television Award]] and the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pedersen |first=Erik |date=2024-12-05 |title='Shōgun' Leads With Six Critics Choice Awards TV Nominations – Full List |url=https://deadline.com/2024/12/critics-choice-awards-2024-tv-nominations-shogun-1236195173/ |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=Deadline}}</ref><ref name="gg25">{{Cite magazine |date=December 9, 2024 |title=2025 Golden Globes nominations revealed: See the full list of nominees |url=https://ew.com/2025-golden-globes-nominations-full-list-8756192 |access-date=December 9, 2024 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref><!-- Knightley will star in an adaptation of [[Ann Leckie]]'s sci-fi novel ''[[Ancillary Justice]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Slater |first=Lydia |date=8 June 2021 |title=Keira Knightley: Back to Basics |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/beauty/a36646647/keira-knightley-interview-july-issue/ |access-date=15 June 2021 |website=Harper's Bazaar UK}}</ref>-->

== Public image ==
[[File:Keira Knightley TIFF 2011.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Knightley at the [[2011 Toronto International Film Festival]]]]

Off-screen, Geoffrey Macnab of ''[[The Independent]]'' describes Knightley as "sensible and self-deprecating"<ref name="Independent" /> and Elizabeth Day of ''[[Harper's Bazaar]]'' says of Knightley's persona: "She is extremely nice, swears more than you might think and – yes – ... effortlessly beautiful".<ref name="harpers2021">{{Cite magazine |last=Day |first=Elizabeth |date=5 January 2017 |title=In conversation with Keira Knightley |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/a39185/keira-knightley-harpers-bazaar-interview/ |magazine=Harper's Bazaar |access-date=27 March 2018 |archive-date=27 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327213727/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/a39185/keira-knightley-harpers-bazaar-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Writing for ''The New York Times'', [[Jesse McKinley]] stated that Knightley is "known for her ability to sparkle and charm in several accents", while her ''Thérèse Raquin'' co-star, [[Judith Light]], praised her "down-to-earth demeanor, intelligence and sense of humor".<ref name="nyt54" />

Knightley has been described as "famously open with media",<ref>{{Cite web |title=Keira Knightley: My breasts were down to my knees |url=http://toronto.fashion-monitor.com/news.php/Celebrity_Style/2006071207Keira-Knightley |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080325024043/http://toronto.fashion-monitor.com/news.php/Celebrity_Style/2006071207Keira-Knightley |archive-date=25 March 2008 |access-date=18 June 2012 |website=Fashion Monitor Toronto}}</ref> though she has asserted the contrary.<ref name="Elle">{{Cite web |date=August 2006 |title=Keira Knightley opens up |url=http://www.keirapictures.com/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=-194&pos=3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605225208/http://www.keirapictures.com/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=-194&pos=3 |archive-date=5 June 2008 |access-date=25 August 2008 |website=Elle}}</ref> During the 2000s, Knightley faced an "extraordinary amount of vitriol" from the press.<ref name="guardian1" /> ''[[The Guardian]]'' wrote that "if she is not too pretty to be worthy of her success, she is too posh, too thin. If there is a more valid reason why [...] they often struggle to articulate it."<ref name="guardian1" /> Despite multiple successful films and award nominations, the criticism affected her, and Knightley felt that she "didn't know [her] trade".<ref name="reporterpod" /> Media scrutiny decreased as her career progressed, and she spaces out her public appearances to maintain attention on her films.<ref name="conductvogue" /> Beginning in the 2010s, Knightley regained confidence in her abilities, and by the release of ''[[Colette (2018 film)|Colette]]'' (2018), she felt she had learned her craft and mentally occupied a "good place where I feel pretty confident about what I can do".<ref name="reporterpod" />

Several publications have described Knightley as one of the finest actresses of her generation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zilko |first=Christian |date=March 16, 2023 |title=Keira Knightley Recalls Initial Expectations for 'Bend It Like Beckham': 'Nobody Will See It. It's Fine' |url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/keira-knightley-nobody-would-see-bend-it-like-beckham-1234820083/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240607162430/https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/keira-knightley-nobody-would-see-bend-it-like-beckham-1234820083/ |archive-date=June 7, 2024 |access-date=June 7, 2024 |work=[[IndieWire]] |quote=Keira Knightley became one of the most respected actresses of her generation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 16, 2018 |title=Keira Knightley on family, feminism and freedom |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/a24405176/keira-knightley-december-issue-cover/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315000512/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/a24405176/keira-knightley-december-issue-cover/ |archive-date=March 15, 2023 |access-date=June 7, 2024 |magazine=[[Harper's Bazaar]] |quote=One of the most celebrated actresses of her generation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Berrington |first=Katie |date=July 19, 2012 |title=Keira Knightley |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/keira-knightley-biography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522013203/https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/keira-knightley-biography |archive-date=May 22, 2023 |access-date=June 7, 2024 |work=[[British Vogue]] |quote=Keira Knightley is one of the most successful actresses of her generation}}</ref> Knightley has been widely recognised for her extensive repertoire of [[period dramas]] throughout her career.<ref name="buzzfeedessay" /><ref name="independentarts">{{Cite web |date=28 December 2018 |title=Keira Knightley explains the reason she loves period dramas |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/keira-knightley-period-dramas-why-colette-duchess-pride-prejudice-a8701561.html |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=The Independent |archive-date=4 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504234345/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/keira-knightley-period-dramas-why-colette-duchess-pride-prejudice-a8701561.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=4 January 2021 |title=Keira Knightley : her best historical films to rewatch |url=https://www.vogue.fr/fashion-culture/article/keira-knightley-historical-films |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=Vogue |archive-date=4 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504235810/https://www.vogue.fr/fashion-culture/article/keira-knightley-historical-films |url-status=live }}</ref> She identifies with "break[ing] out of that image of femininity" and appreciates period films' "overt cage" to demonstrate such.<ref name="independentarts" /> Writer [[Anne Helen Petersen]] states that the varying personalities of her historical roles are united in the "larger idea" Knightley represents: "that of women ostensibly performing a version of proper womanhood — all while quietly negotiating, or cracking under, the weight of doing so."<ref name="buzzfeedessay">{{Cite web |last=Petersen |first=Anne Helen |date=25 September 2018 |title=A Unified Theory Of Keira Knightley |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/keira-knightley-colette-costume-dramas-patriarchy |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=BuzzfeedNews |archive-date=5 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505044909/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/keira-knightley-colette-costume-dramas-patriarchy |url-status=live }}</ref> She has criticised contemporary-set films, finding their depiction of sexual violence against women excessive.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pulver |first=Andrew |date=17 January 2018 |title=Keira Knightley criticises rape culture in modern cinema |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/17/keira-knightley-female-characters-rape-metoo-hollywood |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=4 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504234844/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/17/keira-knightley-female-characters-rape-metoo-hollywood |url-status=live }}</ref> Knightley is reputed for her signature "strong female lead" roles,<ref name="conductvogue" /> and she has been compared to actresses [[Katharine Hepburn]], [[Greta Garbo]], [[Audrey Hepburn]], and [[Nicole Kidman]].<ref name="buzzfeedessay" /><ref name="bradshaw01" /><ref name="nytpotc" />

In a 2004 [[BBC]] poll, she was named among the most influential people in [[Culture of the United Kingdom|British culture]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 March 2017 |title=iPod's low-profile creator tops cultural chart |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/ipods-low-profile-creator-tops-cultural-chart-68924.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821090235/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/ipods-low-profile-creator-tops-cultural-chart-68924.html |archive-date=21 August 2017}}</ref> Knightley has often been ascribed to the "[[English rose (epithet)|English rose]]" archetype.<ref>{{Cite news |title=32 Times Keira Knightley Was The Ultimate English Rose |work=Elle |url=https://www.elle.com.au/fashion/32-times-keira-knightley-was-the-ultimate-english-rose-10850 |access-date=12 November 2020 |archive-date=17 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417225544/https://www.elle.com.au/fashion/32-times-keira-knightley-was-the-ultimate-english-rose-10850 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=18 October 2007 |title=English Rose |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/english-rose |access-date=24 May 2021 |website=Teen Vogue |archive-date=24 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524044547/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/english-rose |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=13 November 2012 |title=Keira Knightley disappointed by droopy 'fantasy breasts' |url=https://www.today.com/news/keira-knightley-disappointed-droopy-fantasy-breasts-1C7042433 |access-date=24 May 2021 |website=Today |archive-date=24 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524044544/https://www.today.com/news/keira-knightley-disappointed-droopy-fantasy-breasts-1C7042433 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=5 Easy Steps To The Prettiest English Rose Make-Up Look |work=Vogue |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/english-rose-beauty |access-date=12 November 2020 |archive-date=26 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826112427/https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/english-rose-beauty |url-status=live }}</ref> Knightley has been included several times on ''[[FHM]]''{{'}}s "[[FHM's 100 Sexiest Women (UK)|100 Sexiest Women in the World]]" list, making her first appearance in 2004 and topping the list in 2006;<ref>{{Cite news |title=Keira KOs Kate |work=News.com.au |url=http://entertainment.news.com.au/story/0,10221,18947552-7485,00.html |url-status=dead |access-date=27 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060527111919/http://entertainment.news.com.au/story/0%2C10221%2C18947552-7485%2C00.html |archive-date=27 May 2006}}</ref> she was included in every subsequent issue until 2009.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Howard |first=Tom |date=27 January 2008 |title=100 Sexiest Women in the World 2008 – the Top Ten |work=FHM |url=http://www.fhm.com/girls/100-sexiest-women-in-the-world-2008--the-top-ten-20100127 |url-status=dead |access-date=23 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007235048/http://www.fhm.com/girls/100-sexiest-women-in-the-world-2008--the-top-ten-20100127 |archive-date=7 October 2012}}<br />- {{Cite news |title=FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World for 2009 |work=Film |url=http://www.film.com/photos/fhm-100-sexiest-women-in-the-world-for-2009 |url-status=dead |access-date=23 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215121601/http://www.film.com/photos/fhm-100-sexiest-women-in-the-world-for-2009 |archive-date=15 December 2011}}</ref> She was part of the American editions of the list from 2004 to 2006, and was also placed ninth on the ''[[Maxim (magazine)|Maxim]]'' Hot 100 list in 2006.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The 2006 Hot 100 List |work=Maxim |url=http://www.maxim.com/funny/the-2006-hot-100-list |url-status=live |access-date=23 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730064723/http://www.maxim.com/funny/the-2006-hot-100-list |archive-date=30 July 2012}}</ref>

== Other ventures, ==
[[File:KeiraKnightleyByAndreaRaffin2011 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Knightley at the [[2011 Venice Film Festival]]]]

=== Advocacy and philanthropy ===
Knightley received media attention for her perspectives on [[feminism]], voiced in an interview with ''[[Harper's Bazaar#Harper's Bazaar UK|Harper's Bazaar UK]]'' published in the February 2014 edition. She explained that women face greater hurdles in the film industry compared to their male counterparts, and also revealed that she was perplexed by the use of "feminist" in a derogatory sense.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 December 2013 |title=Keira Knightley Wants the Stupids to Stop Using 'Feminist' as an Insult |url=http://jezebel.com/keira-knightley-wants-the-stupids-to-stop-using-femini-1491177032 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231041215/http://jezebel.com/keira-knightley-wants-the-stupids-to-stop-using-femini-1491177032 |archive-date=31 December 2013 |access-date=30 December 2013 |website=Jezabel}}</ref> Knightley posed topless for the September 2014 cover of ''[[Interview (magazine)|Interview]]'' magazine, on condition that the image not be digitally altered, to draw attention to how "women's bodies are a battleground and photography is partly to blame."<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 November 2014 |title=Keira Knightly Interview: 'Why I Went Topless On Magazine Cover' |url=http://hollywoodlife.com/2014/11/06/keira-knightley-posing-topless-photoshoot-magazine/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110055227/http://hollywoodlife.com/2014/11/06/keira-knightley-posing-topless-photoshoot-magazine/ |archive-date=10 November 2014 |access-date=11 November 2014 |website=Hollywood Life}}<br />- {{Cite news |date=7 November 2014 |title=Keira Knightley on going topless in protest at the use of women's bodies as a battleground |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2014/nov/07/keira-knightley-on-going-topless-in-protest-at-the-use-of-womens-bodies-as-a-battleground |url-status=live |access-date=11 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111033532/http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2014/nov/07/keira-knightley-on-going-topless-in-protest-at-the-use-of-womens-bodies-as-a-battleground |archive-date=11 November 2014}}</ref> For [[International Women's Day]] 2014, Knightley was one of the artist signatories of [[Amnesty International]]'s letter to British Prime Minister [[David Cameron]], in which the organisation campaigned for women's rights in [[Afghanistan]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 March 2014 |title=Knightley, Hayek call for women's rights |url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/03/09/knightley-hayek-call-womens-rights |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924133233/http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/03/09/knightley-hayek-call-womens-rights |archive-date=24 September 2015 |access-date=23 November 2014 |website=SBS}}</ref> After the birth of her first daughter, she penned an essay about childbirth, entitled "The Weaker Sex", featured in the collection ''Feminists Don't Wear Pink and Other Lies''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robin |first=Marci |date=6 October 2018 |title=Keira Knightley Pens Powerful Essay on the Realities of Childbirth and Sexism in Hollywood |url=https://www.allure.com/story/keira-knightley-feminist-essay-childbirth-sexism-in-hollywood |access-date=7 May 2021 |website=Allure |archive-date=7 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507122149/https://www.allure.com/story/keira-knightley-feminist-essay-childbirth-sexism-in-hollywood |url-status=live }}</ref> Knightley does not shoot nude scenes for her films, unless directed by a female filmmaker.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Trepany |first=Charles |title=Keira Knightley talks 'male gaze,' why she won't film nude scenes with male directors |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2021/01/25/keira-knightley-explains-why-she-wont-film-nude-scenes-male-directors/4251511001/ |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=USA Today |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608010852/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2021/01/25/keira-knightley-explains-why-she-wont-film-nude-scenes-male-directors/4251511001/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Knightley is the face of an [[Amnesty International]] campaign to support human rights, marking the sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]].<ref name="rights">{{Cite web |date=10 December 2008 |title=Knightley Joins Human Rights Campaign |url=https://www.imdb.com/news/ni0625255/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105105626/http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0625255/ |archive-date=5 January 2016 |website=[[World Entertainment News Network|WENN]]}}</ref> In 2004, she travelled to [[Ethiopia]] alongside [[Richard Curtis]], [[Sanjeev Bhaskar]] and [[Julian Metcalfe]] on behalf of the [[Comic Relief]] charity.<ref name="africa">{{Cite news |last=Curtis |first=Richard |date=24 April 2005 |title=Place your cross for Africa's Aids orphans |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2005/apr/24/internationalaidanddevelopment.hearafrica05 |url-status=live |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829041103/http://www.theguardian.com/society/2005/apr/24/internationalaidanddevelopment.hearafrica05 |archive-date=29 August 2013}}</ref> She posed for photos for [[WaterAid]] in 2005 and also for the [[American Library Association]]'s "Read" campaign (a promotional poster of ''Pride & Prejudice'').<ref>''Biography Today'', p. 94</ref> The dress she wore to the 2006 Academy Awards was donated to the charity [[Oxfam]], where it raised £4,300.<ref name="oxfam">{{Cite news |date=1 May 2006 |title=Oxfam gets £4,300 for Oscar dress |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4962586.stm |url-status=live |access-date=25 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216102337/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4962586.stm |archive-date=16 December 2008 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> In April 2009, Knightley appeared in a video to raise awareness of domestic abuse entitled ''[[Cut (advertisement)|Cut]]'' shot for [[Women's Aid]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Domestic violence – isn't it time someone called cut? |url=http://www.womensaid.org.uk/page.asp?section=0001000100100012&sectionTitle=Cut+movie |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090405062150/http://www.womensaid.org.uk/page.asp?section=0001000100100012&sectionTitle=Cut+movie |archive-date=5 April 2009 |access-date=4 April 2009}}</ref> The video created controversy, with some sources calling it too graphic, while other groups support the video for showing a realistic depiction of domestic violence.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Alfonsi |first1=Sharyn |author-link=Sharyn Alfonsi |last2=Shaylor |first2=Jay |last3=Brady |first3=Jonann |date=3 April 2009 |title=Public Service Ads Get More Graphic |publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7245548&page=1 |url-status=live |access-date=4 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831035630/http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7245548&page=1 |archive-date=31 August 2013}}</ref> In November 2010, Knightley became patron of the SMA Trust, a British charity that funds medical research into the disease [[spinal muscular atrophy]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Celebrities head up the battle to fight SMA |url=http://www.smatrust.org/newsDetails.php?id=51&link_id=6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901061023/http://www.smatrust.org/newsDetails.php?id=51&link_id=6 |archive-date=1 September 2013 |publisher=SMA Trust}}<br />- {{Cite web |title=Patrons |url=http://www.smatrust.org/the-sma-trust/our-team/celebrity-patrons/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017162957/http://www.smatrust.org/the-sma-trust/our-team/celebrity-patrons/ |archive-date=17 October 2015 |access-date=16 September 2014 |publisher=SMA Trust}}</ref> In July 2014 Knightley travelled to [[South Sudan]] on behalf of Oxfam to meet refugees of the [[South Sudanese Civil War]] and raise awareness of the conflict.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Keira Knightley: 'They are living in hell. What bloody right do I have to cry?' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/10949932/Keira-Knightley-They-are-living-in-hell.-What-bloody-right-do-I-have-to-cry.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027123120/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/10949932/Keira-Knightley-They-are-living-in-hell.-What-bloody-right-do-I-have-to-cry.html |archive-date=27 October 2016 |access-date=21 December 2016 |website=Daily Telegraph|date=6 July 2014 }}</ref>

In May 2016, Knightley signed a letter imploring Britain to vote "remain" in the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|UK EU referendum]]. The letter was also signed by [[John le Carré]], [[Benedict Cumberbatch]] and [[Danny Boyle]] among others.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Celebrities including John le Carré and Keira Knightley back the pro-EU campaign |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/19/celebrities-including-john-le-carr--and-keira-knightley-back-the/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617174949/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/19/celebrities-including-john-le-carr--and-keira-knightley-back-the/ |archive-date=17 June 2016}}</ref> Later, she appeared in a video aimed at encouraging younger people to vote in the referendum.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Benjamin |date=14 June 2016 |title=Keira Knightley on EU referendum: 'It only takes five seconds to mark X' |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/14/keira-knightley-eu-referendum-voter-participation-video-we-are-europe |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160614172234/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/14/keira-knightley-eu-referendum-voter-participation-video-we-are-europe |archive-date=14 June 2016}}</ref> On 12 September 2016, Knightley, along with [[Cate Blanchett]], [[Chiwetel Ejiofor]], [[Peter Capaldi]], [[Douglas Booth]], [[Neil Gaiman]], [[Jesse Eisenberg]], [[Juliet Stevenson]], [[Kit Harington]] and [[Stanley Tucci]], appeared in a video from the [[United Nations System|United Nations']] refugee agency [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|UNHCR]] to help raise awareness of the global refugee crisis. The video, titled "What They Took With Them", has the actors reading a poem, written by Jenifer Toksvig and inspired by primary accounts of refugees, and is part of UNHCR's #WithRefugees campaign, of which also includes a petition to governments to expand asylum to provide further shelter, integrating job opportunities, and education.<ref>{{Cite news |title=2016 Stories – #WithRefugees |work=Unhcr |url=http://www.unhcr.org/refugeeday/stories/ |url-status=live |access-date=14 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919195822/http://www.unhcr.org/refugeeday/stories/ |archive-date=19 September 2016}}<br />- {{Cite web |date=7 September 2016 |title=What They Took With Them – #WithRefugees |url=http://www.unhcr.org/refugeeday/what-they-took-with-them/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919210154/http://www.unhcr.org/refugeeday/what-they-took-with-them/ |archive-date=19 September 2016 |access-date=14 June 2016}}</ref> In September 2016, Knightley co-hosted A Night to Remember, part of the Green Carpet Challenge, a charity event highlighting [[sustainability]] within the fashion industry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Green Carpet Challenge in partnership with BAFTA 'A Night to Remember' |url=http://eco-age.com/10326-2/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130185659/http://eco-age.com/10326-2/ |archive-date=30 January 2017 |access-date=21 December 2016 |website=Eco-age.com}}</ref>

In September 2017, Knightley traded stocks on behalf of the [[spinal muscular atrophy]] charity SMA Trust as part of the BGC Charity Day, which was set up to commemorate the [[stockbroker]]s who were killed during the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Keira Knightley Plays Canary Wharf Stockbroker for the Day |url=https://www.popsugar.co.uk/celebrity/Keira-Knightley-BGC-Charity-Day-2017-43999630 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911233932/https://www.popsugar.co.uk/celebrity/Keira-Knightley-BGC-Charity-Day-2017-43999630 |archive-date=11 September 2017 |website=Popsugar}}</ref> In April 2020, Knightley participated in a World Health Day livestream to raise money for charity during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Earp |first=Joeseph |date=20 April 2020 |title=Keira Knightley Absolutely Slayed A Charity Livestream By Uh, Playing Her Teeth? |url=https://junkee.com/keira-knightley-livestream-coronavirus/251022 |access-date=7 May 2021 |website=Junkee |archive-date=7 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507051852/https://junkee.com/keira-knightley-livestream-coronavirus/251022 |url-status=live }}</ref> In June 2020, she and other celebrities designed a range of pin badges for the #PinYourThanks campaign, dedicated to thanking essential workers. All profits went to [[NHS Charities Together]] and Volunteering Matters.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Young |first=Sarah |date=3 June 2020 |title=#PinYouThanks: Keira Knightley and Ringo Starr Design Badgers For People To Give "Helpers" During Coronavirus |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/pinyourthanks-badges-keira-knightley-donate-buy-nhs-charities-together-volunteering-matters-a9544206.html |access-date=7 May 2021 |website=The Independent |archive-date=10 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510152933/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/pinyourthanks-badges-keira-knightley-donate-buy-nhs-charities-together-volunteering-matters-a9544206.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In October 2020, she backed Made By Dyslexia, a global campaign to help teachers address "dyslexic strengths". It has trained a quarter of a million teachers and started an online program.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Woodcock |first=Nicola |title=Dyslexia can be a blessing, training drive will tell teachers |work=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/dyslexia-can-be-a-blessing-training-drive-will-tell-teachers-0jq97tqkj |access-date=7 May 2021 |archive-date=7 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507051854/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dyslexia-can-be-a-blessing-training-drive-will-tell-teachers-0jq97tqkj |url-status=live }}</ref> Knightley participated in a skit entitled ''2020 The Movie'', commemorating [[Red Nose Day]] 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sahman |first=Jamie |date=19 March 2021 |title=Comic Relief's Red Nose Day Pokes Fun At 2020 Stereotypes |url=https://etcanada.com/news/760136/comic-reliefs-red-nose-day-pokes-fun-at-2020-stereotypes/ |access-date=7 May 2021 |website=ET Canada |archive-date=7 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507122810/https://etcanada.com/news/760136/comic-reliefs-red-nose-day-pokes-fun-at-2020-stereotypes/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Fashion endorsements ===
Knightley was the celebrity face for the luxury goods brands [[Asprey]] and [[Shiatzy Chen]] as well as Lux haircare products in Japanese television commercials.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 March 2012 |title=Keira Knightley |work=womenzmag.com |url=http://www.womenzmag.com/celebrities/beauty-icons/keira-knightley/ |url-status=live |access-date=23 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630021451/http://www.womenzmag.com/celebrities/beauty-icons/keira-knightley/ |archive-date=30 June 2012}}</ref> In April 2006, she was confirmed as the new celebrity face of [[Chanel]]'s perfume [[Coco Mademoiselle]], though the first photo from the campaign was not released until May 2007.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Silverman |first=Stephen |date=27 April 2006 |title=Keira Knightley Takes Moss's Chanel Job |work=People |url=https://people.com/celebrity/keira-knightley-takes-mosss-chanel-job/ |url-status=live |access-date=13 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110329221711/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1188020,00.html |archive-date=29 March 2011}}<br />- {{Cite news |date=26 April 2006 |title=Keira Knightley succeeds Kate Moss in ads |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-04-26-knightley_x.htm |access-date=23 September 2012}}</ref> Knightley has appeared in television commercials for Chanel directed by [[Joe Wright]] since 2007, and has endorsed Chanel Fine Jewellery's collection Coco Crush.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 February 1999 |title=News |url=http://www.instyle.com/news/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220165625/http://www.instyle.com/news |archive-date=20 December 2016 |access-date=21 December 2016 |publisher=InStyle.com}}</ref> In 2008, Knightley was the highest-earning British Hollywood star according to the [[Forbes Celebrity 100|''Forbes'' Celebrity 100]] list<ref>{{Cite news |title=Keira Knightley is highest earning British Hollywood star on Forbes list |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/2455107/Keira-Knightley-is-highest-earning-British-Hollywood-star-on-Forbes-list.html |url-status=live |access-date=31 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915152028/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/2455107/Keira-Knightley-is-highest-earning-British-Hollywood-star-on-Forbes-list.html |archive-date=15 September 2020}}</ref> and was named amongst the most bankable actors in 2009.<ref name="xf9">{{Cite web |title=Keira Knightley |url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/restore-58/star-currency-09_Keira-Knightley_ME14.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410195836/https://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/restore-58/star-currency-09_Keira-Knightley_ME14.html |archive-date=10 April 2019 |access-date=23 April 2020 |website=Forbes}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Knightley dated actors [[Del Synnott]] (2001–2003), [[Jamie Dornan]] (2003–2005), and [[Rupert Friend]] (2005–2010).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Neil |date=8 July 2006 |title=Keira Knightley: Hungry for success |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/keira-knightley-hungry-for-success-6095882.html |access-date=13 November 2021 |website=The Independent |archive-date=13 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113180935/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/keira-knightley-hungry-for-success-6095882.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Illey |first=Chrissy |date=5 May 2007 |title=National treasure |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2007/may/06/features.magazine47 |access-date=13 November 2021 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=13 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113180934/https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2007/may/06/features.magazine47 |url-status=live }}</ref> She began a relationship with musician [[James Righton]] in February 2011.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brant |first=EMMA |date=25 May 2012 |title=Keira Knightley engaged to James Righton from Klaxons |agency=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-18205142 |access-date=13 November 2021 |archive-date=13 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113182049/https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-18205142 |url-status=live }}</ref> They got married on 4 May 2013 in [[Mazan]], France.<ref name="vwedding">{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Ella |date=4 May 2013 |title=Keira Knightley Marries James Righton |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/keira-knightley-wedding-marries-james-righton |access-date=13 November 2021 |website=British Vogue |archive-date=13 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113182048/https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/keira-knightley-wedding-marries-james-righton |url-status=live }}</ref> They have two daughters together, born in 2015 and 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 August 2015 |title=Keira Knightley's First Interview Since Giving Birth |url=http://uk.eonline.com/news/685156/keira-knightley-reveals-her-daughter-s-name-in-first-interview-since-giving-birth |website=[[E!]]}}<br />- {{Cite web |last1=Leon |first1=Anya |last2=Green |first2=Mary |last3=Boucher |first3=Philip |title=Keira Knightley Welcomes a Daughter |url=https://people.com/parents/keira-knightley-welcomes-daughter-james-righton/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606154950/http://celebritybabies.people.com/2015/05/26/keira-knightley-welcomes-daughter-james-righton/ |archive-date=6 June 2015 |website=[[People (magazine)|People]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cardoza |first=Riley |date=13 September 2019 |title=Keira Knightley Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 2 With Husband James Righton |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/keira-knightley-gives-birth-welcomes-2nd-baby-with-james-righton/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922010321/https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/keira-knightley-gives-birth-welcomes-2nd-baby-with-james-righton/ |archive-date=22 September 2019 |access-date=16 September 2019 |website=[[Us Weekly]]}}</ref> The family resides in [[Canonbury]], [[London Borough of Islington|Islington]], London.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Canonbury's celebrity status is confirmed as Keira Knightley moves in |url=http://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/property-news/news/canonburys-celebrity-status-confirmed-keira-knightley-moves |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924031500/http://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/property-news/news/canonburys-celebrity-status-confirmed-keira-knightley-moves |archive-date=24 September 2015 |access-date=2 May 2015 |website=Homes & Property}}</ref> Knightley advocates equal [[paternity leave]] and has spoken about the expense of childcare in England. She remarked in 2016 on "how lucky I've been to be able to afford really good childcare, otherwise it would be at least four years out of my career."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Day |first=Elizabeth |date=5 January 2017 |title=In conversation with Keira Knightley |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/a39185/keira-knightley-harpers-bazaar-interview/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327213727/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/a39185/keira-knightley-harpers-bazaar-interview/ |archive-date=27 March 2018 |access-date=27 March 2018 |magazine=[[Harper's Bazaar]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Keira Knightley Is Pregnant and Expecting Second Child with Husband James Righton |url=https://people.com/parents/keira-knightley-pregnant-expecting-second-child-james-righton/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503023324/https://people.com/parents/keira-knightley-pregnant-expecting-second-child-james-righton/ |archive-date=3 May 2019 |access-date=3 May 2019 |website=People}}</ref> She has no social media profiles in an effort to preserve her family's privacy.<ref name="adamsint" />

Knightley won a [[libel]] case against the British tabloid ''[[Daily Mail]]'' in 2007 after it had falsely claimed that she had an eating disorder. Awarded £3,000 in damages, she added to the sum and donated £6,000 to [[Beat (charity)|Beat]], a charity for those with mental illness and eating disorders.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Keira Knightley Sues Over Anorexia Claims |url=https://people.com/celebrity/keira-knightley-sues-over-anorexia-claims/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209225649/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20009389,00.html |archive-date=9 February 2015 |access-date=13 March 2019 |website=[[People (magazine)|People]]}}<br />- {{Cite news |title=Knightley wins weight libel claim |work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6687109.stm |url-status=live |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209225536/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6687109.stm |archive-date=9 February 2015}}</ref>

In February 2010, a 41-year-old man was charged with harassment after trying to contact Knightley on several occasions outside London's Comedy Theatre, where she was performing in ''The Misanthrope''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 February 2010 |title=Man on Keira Knightley harassment charge |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8501822.stm |access-date=7 March 2010 |archive-date=8 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608032133/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8501822.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The subsequent trial folded after she was unavailable to testify in court.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 June 2010 |title=Keira Knightley harassment case ended |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/10240551.stm |url-status=live |access-date=4 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010114447/https://www.bbc.com/news/10240551 |archive-date=10 October 2020}}</ref> Another man was sentenced to eight weeks in prison after harassing Knightley outside her home and stalking her in December 2016.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 2016 |title=Keira Knightley 'scared every time I go outside' after being bombarded by infatuated stalker |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/01/keira-knightley-scared-every-time-go-outside-beingbombarded/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207235244/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/01/keira-knightley-scared-every-time-go-outside-beingbombarded/ |archive-date=7 December 2016}}</ref>

Knightley took a break from working in 2006,<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 July 2006 |title=Keira Knightley's career is ruining her love life |url=http://www.pr-inside.com/keira-knightleys-career-is-ruining-her-love-life-r10854.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926191321/http://www.pr-inside.com/keira-knightleys-career-is-ruining-her-love-life-r10854.htm |archive-date=26 September 2008 |access-date=25 August 2008 |website=PR Inside}}<br />- {{Cite web |date=10 July 2006 |title=Workaholic Keira Knightley Needs a Sabbatical |url=http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2006/07/10/workaholic_keira_knightley_needs_a_sabba |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080601115614/http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2006/07/10/workaholic_keira_knightley_needs_a_sabba |archive-date=1 June 2008 |access-date=25 August 2008 |website=StarPulse}}</ref> suggesting that she wanted to take some time off acting to travel and focus on her personal life.<ref name="digitalspy">{{Cite web |last=Regan |first=Susanna |date=12 July 2006 |title=Knightley makes plans for a gap year |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a34777/knightley-makes-plans-for-a-gap-year.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070524214940/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a34777/knightley-makes-plans-for-a-gap-year.html |archive-date=24 May 2007 |access-date=11 July 2006 |magazine=[[Digital Spy]] |df=dmy-all}}</ref> In 2018, Knightley revealed that she had a mental breakdown at age 22 and had been later diagnosed with [[post-traumatic stress disorder]] (PTSD), since she struggled to adjust to her sudden rise to stardom. She recounted how she did not leave her home for three months up until early 2008, and needed to have [[hypnotherapy]] to prevent [[panic attack]]s so she could be able to attend [[61st British Academy Film Awards|that year's BAFTA Awards]], where she was nominated for her performance in ''Atonement''.<ref name="reporterpod">{{Cite news |last=Feinberg |first=Scott |date=3 October 2018 |title='Awards Chatter' Podcast — Keira Knightley ('Colette') |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/awards-chatter-podcast-keira-knightley-colette-1147393 |url-status=live |access-date=5 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005013247/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/awards-chatter-podcast-keira-knightley-colette-1147393 |archive-date=5 October 2018}}</ref>

== Acting credits and awards ==
{{Main|List of Keira Knightley performances|List of awards and nominations received by Keira Knightley|l2=awards and nominations}}
[[File:Madame Tussauds London - Keira Knightley.jpg|thumb|upright|Waxwork of Knightley at [[Madame Tussauds]], London]]

According to the review aggregator site [[Rotten Tomatoes]], Knightley's most critically successful films are ''[[Bend It Like Beckham]]'' (2002), ''[[Love Actually]]'', (2003), ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl]]'' (2003), ''[[Pride & Prejudice (2005 film)|Pride & Prejudice]]'' (2005), ''[[Atonement (2007 film)|Atonement]]'' (2007), ''[[The Duchess (film)|The Duchess]]'' (2008), ''[[Never Let Me Go (2010 film)|Never Let Me Go]]'' (2010), ''[[A Dangerous Method]]'' (2011), ''[[The Imitation Game]]'' (2014), ''[[Everest (2015 film)|Everest]]'' (2015), ''[[Colette (2018 film)|Colette]]'' (2018), ''[[Official Secrets (film)|Official Secrets]]'' (2019), and ''[[Misbehaviour (film)|Misbehaviour]]'' (2020). Her television appearances include ''[[Oliver Twist (1999 miniseries)|Oliver Twist]]'' (1999), ''[[Princess of Thieves]]'' (2001), and ''[[Doctor Zhivago (miniseries)|Doctor Zhivago]]'' (2002).<ref name="Biography Today, pp. 83–84" /><ref name="Biography Today, p. 85" /><ref name="Doctor Zhivago" /> On stage, Knightley has starred in ''[[The Misanthrope]]'' and ''[[The Children's Hour (play)|The Children's Hour]]'' at the [[Harold Pinter Theatre]], as well as in ''[[Thérèse Raquin]]'' at the [[Roundabout Theatre Company]].<ref>{{Cite web |title="The Children's Hour" at Ambassador Tickets |url=http://www.ambassadortickets.com/2271/667/London/Comedy-Theatre/The-Childrens-Hour |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209171902/http://ambassadortickets.com/2271/667/London/Comedy-Theatre/The-Childrens-Hour |archive-date=9 December 2010 |access-date=10 September 2012 |publisher=Ambassadortickets.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Academy Award®, Golden Globe® and Olivier nominee Keira Knightley will make her Broadway debut in a new adaption of Thérèse Raquin by Helen Edmunson |url=http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/Shows-Events/Therese-Raquin.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031204929/http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/Shows-Events/Therese-Raquin.aspx |archive-date=31 October 2014 |access-date=28 October 2014 |publisher=Roundabout Theatre Company}}</ref>

Knightley has received two [[Academy Award]] nominations: [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] for ''[[Pride & Prejudice (2005 film)|Pride & Prejudice]]'' (2005) and [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] for ''[[The Imitation Game]]'' (2014). She has been nominated at the [[Golden Globe Awards]] for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical|Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture#2010s|Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture]] categories, for her performances in ''[[Pride & Prejudice (2005 film)|Pride & Prejudice]]'' (2005), ''[[Atonement (2007 film)|Atonement]]'' (2007), and ''[[The Imitation Game]]'' (2014), respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Keira Knightley |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/keira-knightley |access-date=3 April 2021 |website=Golden Globe Awards |archive-date=6 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306140303/https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/keira-knightley |url-status=live }}</ref> Knightley has twice been nominated at the [[British Academy Film Awards]]: [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress in a Leading Role]] for ''[[Atonement (2007 film)|Atonement]]'' (2007), and [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role#2010s|Best Actress in a Supporting Role]] for ''[[The Imitation Game]]'' (2014).<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 November 2018 |title=BAFTA to host career retrospective with Keira Knightley |url=https://www.bafta.org/media-centre/press-releases/bafta-to-host-career-retrospective-with-keira-knightley |access-date=3 April 2021 |website=BAFTA |archive-date=6 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306042404/https://www.bafta.org/media-centre/press-releases/bafta-to-host-career-retrospective-with-keira-knightley |url-status=live }}</ref> She also received nomination for a [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role]] in a Play for ''[[The Misanthrope]]''.<ref name="Los Angeles Times" /> She won the [[Empire Award]] for [[13th Empire Awards#Winners and nominees|Best Actress]] for her performance in ''[[Atonement (2007 film)|Atonement]]'' (2007) after five nominations.<ref name="Best Actress"/>

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite news |last=Conner |first=Megan |date=14 March 2014 |title=Keira Knightley: 'I used to try to be sensible and good and professional' |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/26/kiera-knightley-interview-marriage-movies-being-a-geek}}
* {{Cite news |last=McKinley |first=Jesse |date=21 October 2015 |title=Keira Knightley, Making Her Broadway Debut, Is Not Afraid of the Dark |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/theater/keira-knightley-making-her-broadway-debut-is-not-afraid-of-the-dark.html}}
* {{Cite news |last=Petersen |first=Anne Helen |date=28 September 2018 |title=A Unified Theory Of Keira Knightley |work=[[Buzzfeed News]] |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/keira-knightley-colette-costume-dramas-patriarchy}}

== See also ==
* [[List of British actors|List of British Actors]]
*[[List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Great Britain]]
*[[List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees#Youngest nominees 3|List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees – Youngest nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role]]
*[[List of actors with Academy Award nominations]]
*[[List of actors with two or more Academy Award nominations in acting categories]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons}}
* {{IMDb name|461136}}
* {{Screenonline name|id=1179589|name=Keira Knightley biography and credits}}

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{{Empire Award for Best Actress}}
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