LONDON — Keira Knightley is fine with taking a topless photo.
Just don’t screw it up with Photoshop or other digital manipulation.
While talking about a set of Patrick Demarchelier photographs she did for Interview magazine (including one NSFW), Knightley told the The Times of London (subscription required) that she wanted the images to present her as she is.
“I’ve had my body manipulated so many different times for so many different reasons, whether it’s paparazzi photographers or for film posters,” the actress, 29, said. “That (shoot) was one of the ones where I said: ‘OK, I’m fine doing the topless shot so long as you don’t make them any bigger or retouch.’ Because it does feel important to say it really doesn’t matter what shape you are.”
Among other images that misrepresented her body, Knightley had her breasts beefed up for the “King Arthur” movie poster — even though she’d said that her bust had actually diminished while preparing for the role, thanks to strength exercises.
As Jezebel’s Dodai Stewart wrote, “Hollywood can’t imagine a world in which people would see a movie starring an athletic, flat-chested woman.”
Knightley has been determined to live in the spotlight on her terms. The Times article is headlined “My battle to live a normal life” and she told Net-a-Porter that she’s well aware that the movie business wants to put her in a box.
“The people who make movies, whether it’s directors or producers or money people, look for things that they can identify with, and if they’re all predominantly middle-aged white men, then what you see are things that middle-aged white men can identify with,” she said. “And you don’t get anything for anybody else.”
Click here to be directed to the full image in Glamour Magazine.
