Keira Knightley Once Called Working With Kenneth Branagh ‘Psychotic’
Actor Keira Knightley once had the opportunity to work with prolific filmmaker and actor Kenneth Branagh, who she admired since childhood. But the experience left quite an impression on Knightley, as she felt Branagh’s approach to his work was psychotic.
Keira Knightley and Kenneth Branagh co-starred in ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’
Both Knightley and Branagh worked in the 2014 spy thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit starring Chris Prine. Branagh both directed and starred in the film, which was an adaptation of the Tom Clancy best-selling book series. For Knightley, part of the appeal of doing Jack Ryan was to work alongside Branagh.
“It’s something I haven’t done for a long time,” Knightley once said according to The Playlist. “This is running around a lot, but it’s Ken Branagh, who’s directing it, and playing the baddie. He’s one of the main reasons I wanted to be an actress, I was so obsessed with his Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet, so the chance of working with him [was what drew me to the project], even though it’s something that’s nothing like that. He’s also one of the most phenomenal stage actors I’ve ever seen, so I sort of just want to have a look at him.”
Keira Knightley called working with Kenneth Branagh psychotic
Although Knightley was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of working alongside Branagh, the process had a bit of a learning curve. The Pirates of the Caribbean alum once shared what was surprising about teaming up with one of her idols.
“It was completely psychotic! I just wanted to see how it’s done, because I’ve never worked with an actor/director before, and it’s mad,” she once told Bang Showbiz (via Contact Music). “There’s another scene where he kidnapped me and he’s being pretty horrific. He’s screaming in my ear and threatening to kill me and all of a sudden he goes, ‘OK, and cut! And thank you so much, ladies and gentlemen.’ Suddenly he was this lovely Ken again. That’s mad!”
Keira Knightley did ‘Jack Ryan’ because she was tired of doing darker films
Knightley is no stranger to starring in blockbuster films that are high in action. She had a major part in Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean movies. She also had a very brief role in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. But eventually, Knightley devoted her talents to darker indie films. She saw Branagh’s Jack Ryan: Shadow Hunter as a chance for her to return to her blockbuster roots.
“I’ve been doing over the last five years an awful lot of very dark pieces of work. [I wanted to] get to do something that was lighter,” Knightley once told Independent.
Knightley asserted that Jack Ryan was “a piece of pure entertainment… I thought, ‘I haven’t done a piece of pure entertainment for at least six, seven years.'”
Meanwhile, Branagh was more than happy to work alongside Knightley. The Thor director believed some underestimated Knightley’s acting abilities because of her looks.
“I’ve always thought that Keira is a terrific actress,” Branagh said. “Most people wouldn’t see it as a problem but the challenge for her is that she is extremely beautiful. I think some people can’t see beyond that but I’ve always felt that she has a very intelligent, witty quality in her work.”
