Keira Knightley’s Toughest Role: Why Anna Karenina Drove Her Mad
Keira Knightley called Anna Karenina both brilliant and infuriating. Her 2012 performance was praised, even as the film itself divided critics and audiences.
Plenty of folks still have a soft spot for the 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, with Keira Knightley’s sharp-witted Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen’s moody Darcy. It’s a classic for a generation, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that was the only time Knightley teamed up with director Joe Wright for a period drama. But they actually had another crack at it seven years later, this time tackling Anna Karenina.
With a screenplay by Tom Stoppard, based on Tolstoy’s heavyweight novel, the film put Knightley in the shoes of Anna, a woman caught up in a risky romance with a high-ranking officer, played by Jude Law, all set against the backdrop of imperial Russia. The role had previously been played by some big names, including Claire Bloom, Greta Garbo, and one of Knightley’s own favourites, Vivian Leigh. On paper, it looked like a dream gig, but getting to grips with Anna turned out to be a real challenge.
Wrestling With Anna’s Contradictions
Knightley didn’t hold back when talking about the character’s complexity.
“She’s a wonderful character, but very strange and complex,”
she admitted.
“There were times when I thought, I really hate this person. She is needy and manipulative and then there are sides of her that are vulnerable and innocent, and I sometimes think it’s the innocence that pulls her down… You completely see where she’s coming from, but you want to choke her at the same time because at no point can she see what is right in front of her.”
Literary types might agree with Knightley’s take. Like Elizabeth Bennet, Anna refuses to be boxed in by the rules of her era. She’s already married when she falls for her new bloke, but she’s convinced that shouldn’t stop her from chasing real love. Even after her reputation takes a hit, she’s bold enough to try and rejoin high society, even though most of her old mates now see her as damaged goods.
Anna Karenina: Symbol and Scapegoat
To a modern crowd, Anna’s choices might seem gutsy, but in the context of 19th-century Russia, they’re a recipe for disaster. Anyone who’s sat through English at school knows that a character can stand for more than just themselves. Anna’s story is often read as a stand-in for Russia itself, a country in the middle of massive change when Tolstoy was writing. Her independence and refusal to play by the rules make her a symbol of a nation trying to find its own way. At the same time, her tragic end could be seen as a warning from those worried about where all this change was heading.
Despite all the layers, Anna proved a bit too much for most punters. The 2012 film didn’t exactly set the box office alight, even with such a star-studded cast. Critics weren’t overly impressed either, with many reckoning that Wright’s stylised direction got in the way of the story. Still, Knightley’s performance got a fair bit of praise. All that effort to get inside Anna’s head clearly paid off, even if the film itself didn’t win everyone over.