Keira Knightley Talks Pride and Prejudice: Director Thought I Was "Too Pretty" for Role

How star's famous pout has affected her career

By Lily Harrison Jan 23, 2014 6:36 PMTags
Keira KnightleyFred Duval/FilmMagic

There's no denying the fact that Keira Knightley is beautiful.

So much so, in fact, that her Pride and Prejudice director was hesitant about casting her in the period drama.

"Joe Wright didn't want me for Pride and Prejudice because he thought I was too pretty," she shared while making a guest appearance on The Graham Norton Show.

"Then he met me and said, 'Oh no, you're fine!'"

The Jack Ryan actress also shared that her pout has come under fire over her extensive movie career.

She revealed that Wright wanted her to tone down her pout for an earlier film that the two worked on together.

"I've got it out of my system," she shared. "I didn't know I did it so much, and Joe banned it from the film."

But once the director began working with the 28-year-old on her 2011 Chanel commercial, all bets were off.

"Then, when we did the Chanel adverts he said, 'You know that pout we banned? Can we have it back and as much as possible?"

During the sexy advertisement, Knightley is seen prancing through Paris and snuggling up to a handsome man. And let's just say, her pout is on-point!

Wright previously recalled asking the Brit to downplay her famous lips, saying, "We've kind of got past that now. Thing is, her lips naturally pout so the poor girl probably has to pull them in."