Rape is a part of modern films, rues Knightley
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY has claimed she rarely chooses to act in films set in the modern day because “female characters nearly always get raped”.
The British actress said she found “something distasteful” in the way women are portrayed on film, finding “inspiring characters”, that she wants to play, more often in historical drama.
In an interview about her new lead role in Colette, about the French novelist, Knightley said that although there had been some improvement, film lagged behind television streaming services. “With the rise of Netflix and Amazon we’re seeing some strong female characters and female stories on streaming services,” she told film magazine Variety. “I don’t know about films as much. I don’t really do films set in the modern day because the female characters nearly always get raped.
“I always find something distasteful in the way women are portrayed, whereas I’ve always found very inspiring characters offered to me in historical pieces,” she said.
“There’s been some improvement. I’m suddenly being sent scripts with present-day women who aren’t raped in the first five pages and aren’t simply there to be the loving girlfriend or wife.”