Keira Knightley: Acting isn’t therapy

Keira Knightley insists acting isn’t “therapy”.

The British star knows some people in the profession draw on their own experiences when playing parts. That isn’t what the craft is about for her though, although she does enjoy being able to delve into different experiences.

“A lot of people say that acting is like therapy, but I don’t go for that. It’s not my cup of tea; it is for some people, but not me,” she said.

The star is promoting her new movie A Dangerous Method. She portrays a woman with a mental problem who becomes sexually involved with her psychoanalyst. She eventually recovers and becomes a renowned therapist herself.

The dark subject matter is what drew Keira to the part of Sabina Spielrein.

“I do, however, find it incredibly cathartic, and when you’re playing something so dark you want to have a really nice time afterwards, otherwise it’s far too depressing. The actual filming work was very focused and very creative, but at the end of the day we watched soccer – the World Cup was on – and drank beer, which was lovely,” she told British newspaper The Telegraph.

Keira has taken on another difficult role in the upcoming movie Anna Karenina. It’s based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy and the actress has been reading up on psychoanalysis to help her with the part.

She has worked with director Joe Wright before, on movies Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, and worries about giving the film her all.

“We’re all very aware that it’s an incredibly difficult part and an incredibly difficult piece, and very often it hasn’t worked,” she said. “But we have a brilliant team and a great group of actors, and we’re going to do our best.”

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