Film

Keira Knightley: Every woman I know has been harassed

Actor says she takes precautions walking home and that the situation is ‘depressing’

Keira Knightley says that sexual harassment is such a big problem she does not know any woman who has not been subjected to it. Photograph: Julien M Hekimian/Getty Images for Chanel

Miranda Bryant
Tue Jun 8 2021 - 08:31

Keira Knightley says that sexual harassment is such a big problem she does not know any woman who has not been subjected to it, including herself. From groping to being flashed, "everybody" has been harassed in some way, according to the British actor.

Speaking in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar magazine, which goes on sale on Wednesday, the 36-year-old says the situation is “f***ing depressing”.

Asked if she has experienced harassment, she says: “Yes! I mean, everybody has. Literally, I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been in some way, whether it’s being flashed at, or groped, or some guy saying they’re going to slit your throat, or punching you in the face, or whatever it is, everybody has.

“It was when women started listing all the precautions they take when they walk home to make sure they’re safe, and I thought, I do every single one of them, and I don’t even think about it.”

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Keira Knightley on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar magazine

Knightley has previously talked about her discomfort shooting intimate scenes and how women are expected to either be flirty or maternal. "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 in January. "I don't have an absolute ban, but I kind of do with men."

In her latest interview, the mother of two, who reportedly pulled out of the period drama The Essex Serpent over pandemic childcare concerns, also describes how she kept her family’s spirits up during lockdown.

She says: “We have a trampoline in our garden, and we decided we were only allowed to wear dresses on it. I put on red lipstick every day, and every bit of Chanel that I have in my cupboard, and my daughter Edie had Chanel ribbons plaited into her hair and fairy wings.

“I thought, What is the point of these lovely things sitting in the wardrobe when it feels quite apocalyptic and scary outside? It felt so important to be really happy for the kids.”

She has two children, Edie and Delilah, with her husband, James Righton, a musician and former member of the band Klaxons. – Guardian

Keira Knightley