Knightley Admits To Bad Acting

Keira Knightley is one of the most intriguing actresses working right now. Not for her outstanding natural ability, but for the fact that she has gotten so far without ever having delivered an electric performance. Despite being Oscar nominated, I just can't see why Hollywood keeps casting her as a leading lady. Though she's a stunning lady and not as vacuous or wooden as her Pirates co-star and fellow unfathomable A-lister Orlando Bloom, she just doesn't seem to display that 'it' factor, that spark the likes of Rachel McAdams and Emily Blunt have in spades. From the Radio Times via The Guardian, Knightley has admitted that critics of her acting, particularly her breakout performance in Bend It Like Beckham, were right:

"I completely agreed on every level," said Knightley. "I didn't go to drama school, so I didn't get the training. It was difficult to get over that: 'What am I doing? I'm pretending that I can do this and everybody's telling me I can't.'"

I've got a lot of respect for Knightley for coming out and saying this. Not many actors would admit their own weaknesses, let alone do it to the media. I think when Knightley mentions "pretending" she hits the nail on the head. Every time I see her on film it is always obvious to me she is faking it, her performances aren't natural and she struggles to lose herself in her roles. Perhaps it'll take a while for Knightley to really hit a decent run of form. As she gets older the parts she's being offered now will dry up and she'll be forced to go with supporting roles that offer more of a challenge.