Our movie correspondent Dustin Chase (texasartfilm.com) got a chance to sit down with Keira Knightley, the star of the recently released film Colette, to discuss filming, motherhood, and Colette herself.
Dustin Chase: So, I was just saying you are the only person I have slowed down for.
Keira Knightley: Thank you so much.
DC: So, tell me a little bit about the journey of this character and I want to mention one little thing, that Colette is also being mentioned in other films at the festival.
KK: Really? Oh!
DC: Other films are actually talking about the Colette character.
KK: Well that is interesting, I didn’t know that. Well, I didn’t know anything about her. I sort of knew two of her books, which I loved. But I didn’t know anything about her life. I just read the script and went, oh yes, please. She is such a fun, interesting, sort of powerhouse. And the story… I didn’t know anything about the story of her first marriage. And how he took credit for everything she had written. The journey she went on to live the life that suited her and to find her own voice and stand tall and literally make a hole in the world and herself. I was just like, oh, I am finding this very inspiring.
DC: So, I had read this movie was trying to get made for a while…
KK: Trying to make it 15 years…
DC: And it took until “now” for it to happen.
KK: It was actually meant to happen before it did, two years ago, and then had a baby. And, um, my fault. I said I am really sorry, my baby is not sleeping, so I can’t play a really big part right now. I don’t think I will remember the words. Can we push for a year, please. There is a reason, ten years ago no one was allowed to talk about feminism. So, we are relatively into really early stages of this wave, this wave of the women’s movement.
DC: And this is the perfect movie to ride that wave.
KK: I hope so, but I think things collide like that. We are suddenly ready to be talking about gender politics, talking about feminism, sexual politics, in a way that we hadn’t been for ages. And so I am not surprised that now is the time it managed to get made. I think it’s a really exciting part of that story. I think so often women don’t know who their heroes are. We know so many male heroes throughout time and Colette was an extraordinary creature that girls should be taught about in school. I felt very privileged to go woah, she was cool.
DC: And now she is appearing in other movies at this festival. And you get to play the villain… Are you ok with being called the villain?
Dominic West: Yes! I always play the villain. You reach a point in your life.
DC: But this is a little bit different though, this is a realistic villain.
DW: Yea, he was real, he, like all humans, and all interesting characters, he’s got his three dimensions. He’s not pure evil and you see why she went for him. And she enjoyed being with him for a certain amount of time. What her method was in being in the madness with this guy who exploited her. He was the life and soul of Paris at the most interesting time. He was her passport into that world. Into publishing, writing, brand and being famous and becoming a star.
DC: Creating a wonderful monster. Congratulations on the film, I am not going to take any more of your time because I have to go see another movie.
KK: Fair enough
