Keira Knightley Talks 'Last Night,' Infidelity, Morals

When Keira Knightley broke up with long-time boyfriend Rupert Friend last January, it was by all accounts an amicable split, borne of shifting lives and the pressures of stardom. It was a journey of philosophy, more so than any recent personal experience, then, that the Oscar-nominee made while shooting her new indie drama, "Last Night," with co-star Sam Worthington.

Knightley plays Joanna, one half of a young married couple that, relatively happy, sees their marriage challenged by a night of temptation. She runs into an old lover, perhaps the one that got away, while her husband, played by Worthington, is on a business trip with a very attractive, very forward co-worker. The movie opens up for debate whether it's worse to cheat with your heart or your body, a topic Knighteley discussed in a new interview with Flaunt Magazine.

"What is worse? Joanna spends the night in the arms of a man who loves her, and who she loves," she debated with herself. "He f*cks somebody else. What is worse? We had constant arguments about who was guilty and what was the worst action. Somebody said a great line: 'He tests the marriage, and she breaks it.' I don't know if I agree with that or not, but I can certainly understand it at the same time."

What's most effective about the movie, with its shifting portrayals of each member of the marriage as both a victim and transgressor, is that it makes it difficult to decide fault. Even for its star.

"I vacillate between the two sides. I've got no idea. I rather enjoy not having an idea. I went in absolutely thinking that hers was worse," she explains. "Somewhere in the middle I thought, 'Well, bloody hell, she doesn't f*ck him. What's the problem? They have a nice night, they have a bit of a kiss, she doesn't really do anything.' And then I went back to thinking hers was worse. I think it depends on where you are in your life, and that will always change. It's a moveable feast."

Knightley will soon star in "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World," alongside Steve Carell.

Knightley also speaks about her theater run in London, alongside "Mad Men" star Elisabeth Moss, as well as handling criticism and picking her projects. To read the entire interview, click over to Flaunt Magazine.

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Comments

[Jodi Smith]

03:15 PM on 07/03/2011

this interview stupidly gave away the whole movie. beh. i would have liked to have seen it until i read this!

[joeyfoto]

05:19 AM on 05/24/2011

Sex is essential; love is optional. I hate it when facts shatter my romantic delusions, but the simple fact is sex perpetuates the species; romantic love is entirely individualistic. That is an easy call. If procreation had been dependent upon love-matches our. human race would have died out long ago.

The post suffers from the fact that English offers just one word for "love," where the Greeks had nine, but we all must live with the irresolvable confusion that limitation creates..

[Pippen]

01:54 PM on 05/23/2011

Is it just me or does Keira seem a bit wishy washy ?

Good premise though for a story line, if you can hook the audience into the argument early in the film. You would need to ensure both protagonists are equally endeared to the viewer however. Otherwise the arguement would be less about the disparity in love definition and more about "gotcha".

With her looks, and appeal I think she may be a bad choice for this arguement. She's a fair actor but she's got a clean deliberate manner about her and she's craftedly attractive. It would be impossible for her to know she's not attractive so the character she plays would be very difficult.

I'm not talking about her physical sexuality (which is low on hollywood standards) I'm talking eye to eye contact sexuality. She doesn't appear vulnerable or the vulnerable type.

I've cheated, I think. I told my wife before I had a sexual liason and received a smattering of acceptance but didn't want to hear about it further. I was overseas at the time. I lived to regret that honesty with every fiber of my ignorance.

4 years later well after I had returned from service as our relationship began to struggle it was my infidelity that sealed our fate. She had confessed this trist to close family and they quickly went about collecting sticks to burn me at the stake. It took a few years but they succeeded.

I lived but I'm much wiser now.

[bandguy]

01:35 PM on 05/23/2011

When we act from primal urges, we make the normal mistakes and hopefully learn to adjust our behavior and think before we act, so as to not hurt the ones we love.

[earthlingz]

10:50 PM on 05/22/2011

OH NO, I read this script two years ago. It was awful. Just a chronicle of events, no depth whatsoever.

[The Goddaughter]

02:00 PM on 05/22/2011

Another movie that took a more sophisticated view of infidelity than audiences are used to seeing is "Random Hearts." Sure, the flick was lousy overall -- dull as dirt and needlessly long -- but it had some worthwhile bits in it, like when Harrison Ford's co-worker tells him about her own experience with infidelity (she was both on the receiving and giving end of it), and basically tells Ford that though his late wife's adulterous behavior was selfish and hurtful, it doesn't mean she didn't love him.

[The Goddaughter]

01:46 PM on 05/22/2011

If I was married and my husband was in love with another woman, I'd want him to be honest about it instead of sneaking around behind my back. It would hurt but it would be a lot less humiliating. I thought the first "Sex and the City" movie (didn't even bother with the second, it looked a million different kinds of awful) was mostly useless, but I appreciated how Steve immediately confessed his infidelity to Miranda -- although I thought her reaction, while initially understandable, became unduly harsh.

[liberalsrheros]

11:49 PM on 05/21/2011

anybody here not unique? the men think this, women fell that discussions are just silly.

[maori]

07:46 PM on 05/21/2011

The difference of prime numbers, no half measures, just music.

[Highball]

01:16 PM on 05/21/2011

Wow this looks fantastic. Great cast, interesting premise. It sounds like they had some interesting discussions on set.

And Keira -- oh Keira!

[The Goddaughter]

01:03 PM on 05/22/2011

Keira has been proving herself a very fine actress for years. I just wish she wasn't so scrawny.

[RogerHWerner]

06:28 PM on 05/20/2011

I suspect that men and women view this matter very differently. When two people are in a committed relationship, how they think about the opposite sex especially those they might feel strongly for and even love should remain private. I have no interest who might wife might fantasize about because that is her personal business. I won't discuss my sentiments on this matter. Men I think place more emphasis on the physical, while a women may well view a mental betrayal just as important and perhaps even more so than a physical one.

[saami]

04:24 PM on 05/20/2011

Love doesn't need sex to be deep and full filling. True intimacy is the deep conversations, sharing of thoughts, dreams and fears that two people have when they let all the barriers down. That creates a strong bond between two people that is almost impossible to break even if they do not stay together physically. You can have sex with some one you don't even like, because they are a "good" lay and available.

[The Goddaughter]

01:00 PM on 05/22/2011

True. I'm reminded here of a line in "Chasing Amy"; Alyssa says to Banky, "I bet you don't love every girl you sleep with," and he answers, "Some of them I downright loathe."

Lots of people confuse sex with love. I knew a woman who would sleep with a guy and instantly be in love with him, and thus be even more hurt when she found out that, to him, she was just a quick lay.

[earthlingz]

11:02 PM on 05/22/2011

I don't understand why we can't share all this with more than one person. Maybe some rules and structure should be set if there are children involved, but what's the point of getting married and having to compromise one's entire life?

[CurrencyIsKing]

01:10 PM on 05/20/2011

Thank God we have Keira to guide us through the difficult issues of life.

[earthlingz]

11:02 PM on 05/22/2011

I read the script. It ain't that difficult.

[ChknLvr]

12:07 PM on 05/20/2011

She would be much hotter if she didn't have the body of a 12-yr old boy.

[Chris McCamic]

06:55 PM on 05/20/2011

LOL, I hate to admit how disturbingly true this is. #ohgodimgoingstraighttohell

(she is lovely, though)

[H P]

11:42 AM on 05/20/2011

A lot of good comments here, and by Keira. Our 19th Century, biblical morals focuses media society truly overlooks reality. In reality it is rare, extremely rare I would say to be married and have your best friend be your spouse, maybe that is just me, call me immoral then.
People are just naturally not monogamous, whether it is just for your 'loins' or emotionally. Emotional monogamy is what we are talking about here and that is even harder in my opinion. I have more than one friend- who on some levels know me better than my wife, so am I unfaithful? ( and yes they are the opposite sex) , do I 'know them" in the biblical sense? no.. It keeps me sane.

[ajax cleanser]

12:31 PM on 05/20/2011

Usually when folks get married they make a vow.
It is a very nice life when one sticks to their vows.
Loyal love is obviously enduring, it is also endearing because it is the love that never fails.

[RogerHWerner]

06:31 PM on 05/20/2011

I think the question raised is this: When one takes a vow of marriage does that totally preclude even a mental betrayal? Should married people never be permitted to ask themselves 'what if?' I ask this rhetorically because I have no answer beyond observing that men and women will usually see this matter quite differently.

[P Murphy]

02:29 PM on 05/20/2011

Please don't say that. It's bad enough the world is ending tomorrow now we have to also face the truth about monogamy? Please, its' too much, I tell you!