When Keira Knightley first broke out with the Pirates of the Carribean series, she followed that up with critically acclaimed, smaller films. After years of doing independent films and Oscar nominated movies, Knightley has finally stepped back into the blockbuster world with Jack Ryan, and she credits that to wanting to work together with Kenneth Branagh, who is both directing and acting in the film.
Jack Ryan stars Chris Pine in the titular role, and the plot follows Jack Ryan uncovering a terrorist plot in Moscow. Knightley will play Ryan's wife, Cathy and Branagh will play the film's villain. While Knightley was promoting Anna Karenina at TIFF, she spoke up about her motivation to act in Jack Ryan, saying "I realized I'd spent five years doing films where I die at the end, and thought I should do something positive... It's pure entertainment. It's something I haven't done for a long time. This is running around a lot, but it's Ken Branagh, who's directing it, and playing the baddie.
"He's one of the main reasons I wanted to be an actress, I was so obsessed with his 'Henry V,' 'Much Ado About Nothing,' and 'Hamlet,' so the chance of working with him [was what drew me to the project], even though it's something that's nothing like that. He's also one of the most phenomenal stage actors I've ever seen, so I sort of just want to have a look at him."
Knightley's Anna Karenina debuted to mostly positive reviews at TIFF, and many are expecting Knightley to garner another Oscar nomination for her performance in the movie.
