Actress Keira Knightley has confessed that she was never a fan of the title of her 2002 hit film, Bend It Like Beckham. Speaking at the BFI Screen Talk on Friday, she admitted to feeling embarrassed by the name, recalling how people would react negatively when she mentioned it.
Knightley said she would tell people the film's title and they would respond, 'that sounds awful'. She even questioned whether the name could be changed before its release, making the film's eventual success a 'total surprise'.
She also noted that another major success, Pirates of the Caribbean, was similarly unexpected. 'It was based on a Disney theme park and nobody thought it would be any good, even us doing it,' she said, adding that pirate movies had not been successful for years prior.
Reflecting on her early 2000s filmography, which includes Bend It Like Beckham, three Pirates films, Love Actually, Pride and Prejudice, and Atonement, Knightley remarked, 'Never say never but I don't think I'll have another successful run of films.' She described the period as 'a pretty good hit rate' and 'slightly frightening' but 'extraordinary'.
Knightley's upcoming film Colette tells the true story of French author Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, whose husband published her work under his name. Knightley said the theme of having one's voice silenced or taken away is one 'most women identify with' and feels particularly topical for 2018.
