Interview from press junket, courtesy of Touchstone Pictures:
Q: Keira, you got to do a lot of physical al things for Pirates, but I’m sure it was nothing on the level of what you had to train for and eventually bring to the screen for this.
Keira: No, we had to train pretty hard, um, yeah, I did 3 months before the film started. What was I doing – um, boxing, weight-lifting, ax fighting, knife fighting, archery, sword fighting, um, horse riding as well actually, but I never got to ride a horse in the film. Um, but yes we all worked really hard, and once we started, we had um, trainers on set all the time, so when we weren’t filming, we were in the gym and all that, so it was very physical, yeah.
Q: You look so lean and obviously in shape, but I was wondering, were kelted woman at the time, were they lean as you are, I mean, you’re a pretty slim woman.
K: Um yeah, probably not, cause they went around naked most of the time, so they probably would have had to have some sort of, um, more body fat than I did to keep warm, I should imagine. But, I don’t know.
Q: So you wouldn’t be more historically accurate then.
K: I tried, I tried. I did actually put on quite, um, a lot of definitely more muscle for the role, um, and that was mainly when I accepted the part, it was on condition that I put on as much weight as possible as far as that went and I did try. That was as much as I could possibly do in 3 months, um, but I went up a dress size which I was quite proud of, um and I would’ve like to keep it all going, but it did mean 2 hours in the gym about 4 times a week and I just couldn’t be bothered, so…
Q: I think he was referring to the woman walking around naked, not about the muscle *laughs*
K: Oh I see, I’m sorry, it’s been the end of a long day *laughs*
Q: When you saw this coming your way, we all have our images of King Arthur and Guinevere and Lancelot and the legend, so did you have to kind of shatter that when you realized you were playing Guinevere, warrior princess?
K: I think when I first heard they were doing King Arthur, I was like “oh what’s the point? We’ve seen it so many times before, we all know the legend, we know the myths so well” and then I read the script and I thought “ooh, that’s interesting.” So I was really excited, a tiny bit terrified to take on a role as well known as Guinevere and completely change it, but um, but very excited, I think it’s about time we had a new version of Guinevere.
Q: Well, what did they say to convince you to read the script, obviously if you had those feelings when they told you about it…
K: What did they say to convince me to read the script? Um, “there’s a sword fight”, “ooh ok!”. Um no, I didn’t need any convincing, to tell you the truth, I worked with Jerry Bruckheimer last year on Pirates of the Caribbean and I had a fantastic time and I’m such a fan of his. I think he’s absolutely amazing, so the opportunity to work with him again, was just one I couldn’t miss.
Q: So speaking of that sword fight, I mean you get, um, when we finally get to that climatic Battle of Aden Hill, you were really in the middle of that all, which is something that woman rarely gotten to do, especially in epic films of this scale…
K: Yeah…
Q: What was that experience like, I mean, did you have anything to prepare yourself for it?
K: No I mean, I completely loved all the action sequences, my favorite, my favorite points in the movie are all the action, the action ones, um no I mean I loved doing it, you know we trained for such a long time, the stunt guys were absolutely amazing, so they took us through the fights, step by step, and I just had a ball, so it was fantastic. Tiny bit frightening at certain points, but you know, it was all good.
Q: The director told us that there’s an R-rated version of this that he was going to put on a DVD, what are we missing in the love scene in the one I saw?
K: Nothing in the love scene, um, no I was quite lucky actually, I do a love scene and I don’t have to take my clothes off, it’s fantastic.
Q: I think there’s something a lot sexier than taking your clothes off. Just the motion of baring your thigh and moving his hand up it is…
K: It’s true, I mean what’s amazing about, about this Guinevere is she’s so strong as you said, you know, she’s very independent, she’s very manipulative, she’s very calculating, and I think that you, you see that she’s on top in the love scene which is something we rarely see, you know, which is always good. But um, she is very much kind of master of her own destiny and that’s uh, really interesting to see from a character who, you know, traditionally has been so, um, so romantic and so innocent, and to take that innocence out and play a character who’s very much got blood on her hands, you know, it’s, it’s a fascinating thing.
Q: Someone just casually mentioned that she’s supposed to be Merlin’s daughter, and I don’t know if that was actually true. I question that just for a moment, that in her ability to access Merlin in the scene in the forest when they’re up north, like how she was able to get a hold of him to be there?
K: Well I think that, I mean, all through the film, there is a really interesting thing where, you know, the Woads are tracking them at all points and somehow, you know, they know where everybody else is, and I think, in a way, that does, um, involve a certain, kind of, it puts a magical element into the film in a funny way, well it’s not actually at all, if that made sense. Um, but, so, I mean, yeah, there was talk when we were doing the film of Guinevere being Merlin’s daughter, which I think we all thought was quite interesting, but, you know, I don’t think that’s the story we were trying to tell, I think that definitely there is a connection between the 2 characters um, but it could be father and daughter, but I think more likely it’s kind of the leader and one of his generals in a way and that’s kind of how I took it. But um, definitely, I mean, you do see all through the film the Woads tracking the knights and always being everywhere, and I think that was the idea behind it, that they know the land like the back of their hands and there always watching.
Q: She was so compelling as a character and the fact that she defends herself so well, mentally, emotionally and physically, it made you wonder, it made me wonder, did you create a whole back story for her as the how she got captured by this Italian family in the first place?
K: Yeah, very much so, I think I talked to Antoine about what the back story was and um, you know, we did decide that probably that she was leading an attack on the house and got captured, so maybe she’s not the best leader, but she got captured and put in jail and probably tortured as well, well definitely tortured, um, so I mean, for me, I definitely thought she was someone high up in the society, um, and so that also meant it gave me more to play as far as the manipulation, you know, suddenly this character who has been fighting against the knights since probably she was born, um, finds herself in the middle of them and I think there is a moment where she’s thinking “alright, what’s the best action to take – do I kill them all or do I use something to my advantage?” and she chooses to use Arthur to her advantage, which is maybe quite a cold way of looking at it, but, you know, I think there is a little bit of love as well, but I think she is a character who won’t allow herself to fall in love with anybody, unless they were going to beneficial to her cause, you know, what we’re looking at is
Guinevere as almost a guerilla leader, you know, she is fighting for an occupied nation and I think the interesting about it is to say that nobody is innocent here, they’ve all done things that’s uh, repulsive, that are disgusting, and each character lives with that and is probably haunted by that as well, but it made them more quite interesting individuals.
Q: Between Bend It Like Beckham and once this comes out, I was going to say you’ll be a role model for girls or women, but it’s a role model for everybody, let’s face it, but you think you’ll keep that in mind when you choose other parts, or is it just…
K: No, um, no, um, I mean, yes, Bend It Like Beckham and Pirates of the
Caribbean are definitely characters who are role models, I mean they’re positive beings. I wouldn’t say Guinevere is particularly a role model, I mean apart from being strong, and me as a moviegoer, that’s what I like to see um, when I go see films now, I want to see strong women, I want to see women who are pro-active, who aren’t just the girl in the movie, you know, I mean, that’s what I’m interested in, but as far as her being a role model, I really wouldn’t, you know, I mean, she’s pretty cold, um, and fights a lot, I really recommend that. As far as me choosing roles, you know, I think you can only do what interests you, um, I’m playing an alcoholic waitress next, so I don’t think she’s a particular role model either, but um, yeah, but certainly strong women, that’s a very positive image.
Q: Is that in The Jacket?
K: Yes.
Q: Could you just talk a little bit about it?
K: Yeah, um, um, I got The Jacket, um, coming out I think later this year/early next year, it’s with Adrian Brody, Kris Kristofferson, and
Jennifer Jason Leigh. Um, from a director called John Maybury, he’s a really exciting British director. Um yeah, yeah, it’s a thinking man’s thriller, it should be really interesting, it’s very different from this, um, but yeah, it should be good.
Q: How about getting into the character of Elizabeth Bennett? Were you one of the schoolgirls who went rushing home to see Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy?
K: Um yes, but you know, I mean, it’s a fantastic opportunity to play
Elizabeth Bennett as it was to play Guinevere, you know, 2 female roles that if they come your way, you just can’t turn them down. Um, and with Pride and Prejudice, it’s fantastic to say that it is an adaptation of the book, so if I got any questions, I got the book to run to, um, but yeah, it should be good, haven’t started yet, um, I start as soon as I get back and it’s very exciting.
Q: How dizzying is all this? I mean, not to say that you’re young, but you’re not even 20 years old yet and look at all that has happened to you, I mean, in a couple of years.
K: Yeah, it is amazing and um, I mean, all through my life, what I love doing is I love watching movies, I love um, reading books about movies, I love the escapism of film, you know, I love stories, so it is incredible to be in them as much as I am, to see them from the very first stitch in a costume to the end product, I mean, that’s what I find really incredible, um, and that’s what I’ve always wanted to spend my time doing. And luckily for me, at the moment I get to spend most of my time doing that, you know, but acting is very much a profession that is, um, you’re hot one minute and not the next, and that is totally cool, you know, and for me, I think that’s what I find most fascinating and most exciting about it, is that it is, it can be gone in a puff of smoke, um…
Q: Has making movies lived up to your expectations, I mean, you’ve done everything from the little movies to the big giant…
K: Yeah, I mean, and I love it, I really do. I’m just fascinated in how they’re put together. It’s a fascinating medium, you know, um, it’s absolutely incredible and to see somebody’s vision up on screen is amazing, and to be able to, um, to act out somebody else’s ideas is fun as well, yeah, I totally love it.
Q: Then along with that comes people like us getting very nosy about your personal life and I see uh, something called Tattler announced that you’re the most desirable, single woman in the UK, and and..
K: For this month…*laughs*
Q: For the month of April, but is that a fair tradeoff when you realize that you’re now, now if, you know, go out for a cup of coffee and somebody snaps a picture, it’s going to be in a paper or a tabloid, and suddenly you’re life is not your own anymore?
K: I mean, um, I have to say I am spending most of my time working and on film sets it’s a very protective kind of bubble which is fantastic so I haven’t been overly aware of any of it. Um, you know, at the moment, what I want to do is make films, and therefore, all is good. When it isn’t, I’ll re-think and I’ll probably do something else, who knows, but um, at the moment, it’s fine.
Q: Cause you worked with different actors, do you pick up different acting styles and different techniques, or does everyone just go and do it?
K: No, I mean, everybody has their own way of working, um, but it is
fantastic to be able to work with people who really are at the top of their game. Um, and try and learn from them, um, very often, I’m never quite sure how it happens, so you just think “oh God how did you do that? And can I mix something in, oh no I can’t, can I?” But yeah, it is fantastic to be able to see how all these great ones work.
Q: I have a question of this upcoming film, Tulip Fever, what is that?
K: It didn’t happen. All the money fell out.
Q: What’s your favorite CD that you’re currently listening to right now?
K: Um, Jeff Buckley.
Q: Why? What’s great about Jeff Buckley? And what’s the name of the record?
K: … Jeff Buckley’s Grace, the most sensational album ever, I think one of the best. Um, you can’t listen to it and not cry. And actually, Damien Rice album, O, is very good as well. If you see him live, he did a version of “Hallelujah”, um, Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah”, is just sensational and I saw him live in Glasgow and the tears were running down my face, so those 2 are completely fantastic.
Q: You were talking about the excitement about doing the battle scenes, what was your reaction when you saw yourself in battle dress, or what there is of the battle dress?
K: I was very happy with the battle dress actually, um, I think, you know, it’s pretty good, a little skimpy, um, but actually we spent months trying to come up with that and originally we had Guinevere in full armor and then it was like, “ok, well where did she get the armor from? That didn’t make sense,” so I had to be dressed like all the other Woads were dressed, and actually I had much more on than any of the guys did, they were really only in loin cloths, um, but you know, actually, I was fine because we did it in the height of summer in Ireland last year and it was really really hot. So I was alright running around, doing everything, and all the boys were dying of heat exhaustion in their huge armor, so I think I came off pretty good actually.
Q: Did you have any, um, cause anyone that has one worn leather belts across their breasts know that, if you like raise your arms during action scenes, did things fall out?
K: *laughs* Um, the top looks like it’s in 2 pieces, but it was in 1. Um, so it wasn’t as skimpy as it appears, um, and we did make very sure that I could move in it without anything popping out. Um, so, and it was all lined with fabric as well so there wasn’t any chafing, so the perfect way to wear leather really.
Q: Could we just get a little update on Pirates 1 and 2, are all the cast coming back for the sequel?
K: Honestly, I don’t know, you’ll have to ask Jerry. Um, I’m not honestly sure. I think we’ve all had a fantastic time on the first Pirates, really amazing, we definitely will be up for doing the second one as well, um, so fingers crossed.
