The 32-year-old actress is best know for her many period pieces from Pirates of the Caribbean and Atonement to Anna Karenina and The Duchess.
Now in her latest film is Colette, where she plays the French novelist of the same name, opposite Dominic West.
In a recent interview with Variety, the actress explained how she finds the portrayal of female characters in present day set films to be “distasteful.”
Knightley said: “With the rise of Netflix and Amazon we’re seeing some strong female characters and female stories on streaming services.”
She continued: “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.”
But Knightley is hopeful, adding: “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.”
Back in 2016, John Carney, who directed Knightley in Begin Again, criticised her acting skills.
The director said: “I don’t want to rubbish Keira, but you know it’s hard being a film actor and it requires a certain level of honesty and self-analysis that I don’t think she’s ready for yet and I certainly don’t think she was ready for on that film.
“I learned that I’ll never make a film with supermodels again.”