British actress Keira Knightley recently gave out her strong opinions and shared traumatic experiences relating to sexual abuse. In addition to these topics, she also discussed her distaste for how women are being portrayed in numerous contemporary movies.
As reported by Variety, the 32-year-old actress was very keen on sharing her thoughts following the numerous sexual harassment allegations that have surfaced -- which eventually led to the "Me Too" and "Time's Up" movements. Although Knightley was meant to talk about promoting her upcoming Sundance film entry titled "Colette," which is about the famous French author, the actress did not shy away from discussing sensitive matters.
It is pointed out that Knightley is inclined to taking on period roles because she feels that almost every female character, more often than not, ends up in a situation where they are nearly raped. Examples of her previous film appearances are "Atonement," "Pride and Prejudice," and "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy. However, Knightley also recognizes that strong female characters do exist in contemporary projects, especially on streaming service sites.
Knightley is hoping that these strong and inspirational characters will help dictate the way women are portrayed in movies in the near future. Knightley stated that she has been getting scripts wherein she is being tasked to play strong and independent female roles, where the character is not "raped within the first five pages," or are there to serve as eye candy, or simply be the good wife to an exemplary male protagonist.
On top of that, Knightley also expressed that good female characters come from exceptional female directors, writers, and producers.
With regard to the "Me Too" movement, Knightley stated that it is time for women to be empowered, and not be afraid to speak up on the sexual misconduct that happens around them, or toward them. Knightley shared that she remembers at least four accounts wherein she was sexually assaulted, albeit in minor ways, in bars. She also believes that majority of women have been victimized in a similar manner in the past, and that this needs to change.
