14 Times Keira Knightley Dropped Truth Bombs on All of Us

"I should imagine that if she wanted to act, I wouldn't have a choice but, no, I certainly wouldn't recommend it. It can be completely heartbreaking for most people who do it, because the amount of rejection is enormous. And it doesn't matter what kind of person you are, it's impossible for that not to take a toll. Even if you're successful, you still have to go through a sh*tload of rejection. So I would say to my daughter: 'Be a doctor or a lawyer — something stable and useful.'" — The Telegraph, September 2014

"The love thing is astonishing. It's a very primal, primal love. That's quite extraordinary. And the ability to have no sleep and continue going. It's not pleasant — I never thought that I could actually do it for the amount of time that I've done it. Also, I have to say, as a woman, you hate certain parts of your body. You go through those periods where you look in the mirror and you think, 'Oh, if only I had different legs,' or arms, or whatever. You go through pregnancy and labor and then feeding the kid and you go, 'Wow, my body is totally amazing, and I'm never going to not like it again, because it did this, and this is f*cking extraordinary.'" — Elle, September 2015

"The people who make movies, whether it's directors or producers or money people, look for things that they can identify with, and if they're all predominantly middle-aged white men, then what you see are things that middle-aged white men can identify with. And you don't get anything for anybody else." — The Edit, December 2014

"I remember doing interviews, and people would ask, as if it was a joke, 'So you mean you are a feminist?' As though feminism couldn't be discussed unless we were making fun of it. I don't want to deny my femininity. But would I want to be a stay-at-home mother? No. On the other hand, you should be allowed to do that, as should men, without being sneered at." — Vogue, September 2012

"I've turned a lot [of roles] down because of it, mostly because of really overt sex and violence that is just, in my view, not justified. I'm not saying that there can't be really interesting stories about sex and violence, but a lot of it I just think, 'This is gratuitous for the sake of being gratuitous, and you'd never ask a dude to do this.' It's actually a difficult question: how much flesh are you meant to bare? What are we saying is appropriate or not appropriate? We're saying that we should be sexually liberated but then again not that sexually liberated. It's confusing." — The Edit, December 2014

"I think a lot of people want to play heroic characters, and that's it. But I don't find that very compelling. It's far more interesting to think about characters whose actions don't always make sense. The fact is, the opposite is always alive in every decision. And if you look at your own life, and the way you've behaved and thought, it won't always make sense either." — Vogue, September 2012

"I've had my body manipulated so many different times for so many different reasons, whether it's paparazzi photographers or for film posters. [The topless Interview shoot] was one of the ones where I said: 'OK, I'm fine doing the topless shot so long as you don't make them any bigger or retouch.' Because it does feel important to say it really doesn't matter what shape you are. I think women's bodies are a battleground, and photography is partly to blame. Our society is so photographic now, it becomes more difficult to see all of those different varieties of shape." — The Times, November 2014

"I don't think that you can fake warmth. You can fake lust, jealousy, anger; those are all quite easy. But actual, genuine warmth? I don't think you can fake it." — Rotten Tomatoes, June 2008

"I do get a lot of contemporary stuff; I just find it's very difficult to find good female roles in contemporary pieces. I don't know why that is. I find more interesting roles for women in period pieces." — Rotten Tomatoes, June 2008

"The anorexic stuff — all of that — it's always going to have an impact, so I think it did hit pretty hard. I knew I wasn't anorexic, but maybe my body is somehow not right. They always pencil in my boobs. For a King Arthur poster, they gave me these really strange droopy tits. . . . I thought, 'Well if you're going to make me fantasy breasts, at least make perky breasts.'" — Allure, December 2012

"I think every girl is looking for her Mr. Darcy. I'd go for someone who is a little bit brooding and somebody you can have a good conversation with, a good fight with, someone who'll always keep you guessing and make you laugh." — The Telegraph, September 2005

"I'm not sure I can define success. I think if I get to the end of my life having hurt as few people as possible, I will be happy, making sure that the people who mean the most to me know they've been loved. Success in work, whatever work, will come and go." — Marie Claire, February 2013

"A friend of mine just had a daughter. It's a political thing, having a baby girl, in a way that it isn't for a boy. You think, 'Oh, isn't this fairy-tale lovely?' Then suddenly you worry, 'What [expectation] am I planting with that? I don't want her to be waiting around for a man to fix her problems.' Maybe it's a bit silly, but because [gender] equality is going so hugely the other way, I think it probably does take being silly to try and swing it back round." — The Edit, December 2014