Keira Knightley – a London girl between drama and adventure Part One

Dear friends of Training Centre Raya London, we have a really nice short story for you to read which will also help you learn English in an easy and fun way. There is a great variety of short and simple articles on our blog, which are available in two languages – both Bulgarian and English. You can check the English version and make notes of new English phrases and idioms.

Today we‘re going to tell you the life story of one well-known and really beautiful English actress, whose transformations give life to numerous popular and awarded movies. .

Keira Knightley was born on the 26th of March, 1985 in the London suburb of Teddington. Her father is an actor of middle fame, and her mother, who is of Scottish and Welsh descent, devotes her life to dramaturgy after the decline of her carreer. Keira, being named after a popular Russian ice-skater, was pretty close to stage life from an early age. Even when she was just three years old, she wished to have her personal agent and at the age of six she actually got one.

When she was a schoolgirl, Keira was diagnosed with dislexia, and she had difficulties reading, especially reading aloud. Yet, thanks to her parents‘ support, she managed to do well at school and was particularly interested in English History and Literature.

Like many other actors, she started her acting carreer in ads, and small TV drama and play roles, one of which was written by her own mother.

Keira‘s first famous role is of Princess Padme Amidala Sabe‘s maid and stand-in woman in Disney‘s production Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. She was given the role mainly because of the resemblance between her and the main actress, and her lines were smothered by Natalie Portman‘s voice. It is said that the two women, when with stage make-up on, were so much alike, that their own mothers could hardly distinguish between the two of them.

However, Disney obviously noticed the talent of the young actress, as  they gave Keira a role in the production Princess of the Thieves, in which she plays Robin Hood‘s daughter. In order to prepare for the role, she had to practice archery and horse-riding.

Later, she had a few roles in English movies, one of which was the comedy Bend it Like Beckham (2002), where she played a tomboy, rapt in football. The movie bacame a real blockbuster in Great Britain and the USA. Keira Knightley practiced real football for three months before the shooting.

Her greatest success is the still unfinished Disney sequence – The Pirates of the Carribean. We all remember how thrilled we were, following the fate of Captain Jack Sparrow, the noble and brave Will Turner, and the beautiful pirate Elizabeth Swann. We get captured from the very first scenes of the movie, which strike everybody‘s deepest desire for freedom, love to the sea and the marine life. The witty scenario of the sequel and the combination of amazing characters and smart scenario brought Keira Knightley to the interest of many critics and filmmakers.

Are you looking forward to the continuation of the story of our beloved English actress? Till then, make sure you improve your English level! Keep up with our blog  and share our stories with friends!

Author: Iveta Radeva