In the Podcast Chanel Connects, the British actress Keira Knightley (35) spoke with the writer Diane Solway and director Lulu Wang (37) about her experience as a woman in the film business and revealed that she will only shoot nude scenes under one condition.
Keira Knightley: Nude scenes with female directors only
On the podcast, Keira Knightley revealed that she refuses to shoot nude scenes with male directors because she feels "very uncomfortable now trying to portray the male gaze." Since Keira has been the mother of two children, she has only wanted to approve films with revealing undertones if a director is not a male.
"It’s partly vanity and also it’s the male gaze," explained the actress. "I’m too vain and the body has had two children now and I’d just rather not stand in front of a group of men naked," Knightley continued. The British actress also revealed that she understands certain directors want and need "somebody to look hot," however there are those "horrible sex scenes where you’re all greased up and everybody’s grunting," where she's just not interested in being a part of any longer.
The actress did mention that she understands the value of these types of scenes, however, they can find someone else to fill those roles.
Keira touched on the fact that she feels strongly about working with a female director focused on female life experiences. "If I was making a story that was about that journey of motherhood and body [acceptance], I feel like, I'm sorry, but that would have to be with a female film-maker," she said.
"If it was about motherhood, about how extraordinary that body is, about how suddenly you're looking at this body that you've got to know and is your own and it's seen in a completely different way and it's changed in ways which are unfathomable to you before you become a mother, then yeah, I would totally be up for exploring that with a woman who would understand that," she continued.
Keira Knightley: Breakthrough as a teenager
Keira Knightley celebrated her breakthrough with the film Bend It Like Beckham and the first part of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. At the time she was just 17 years old. When she starred in Star Wars - A Phantom Menace, she was only twelve years old. On the podcast, Keira shared that at the beginning of her career she never said anything when she was uncomfortable on set. She was just too young and didn't feel that her opinion was important.
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