Life Lessons: Keira Knightley on confidence, criticism and love

« You just have to have the confidence to go, ‘This is me and you’re not all going to like it’. And that’s fine »

Jun 11, 2021

« You do get more confident as you get older, » Keira Knightley tells us. « I don’t know why that is. I guess you’ve experienced more? You’ve gone through the highs and lows already. You just have a better sense of yourself. »

We’re sat amidst the glorious surroundings of Wilderness Reserve in Suffolk, where Knightley – clad elegantly in Chanel and Chanel Beauty – has just been photographed for our July issue cover shoot.

« You also understand that you’re never going to please everybody and that that’s impossible, » she continues thoughtfully. « So I think you just have to have the confidence to go, ‘This is me and you’re not all going to like it’. And that’s fine. »

The actress says that being out of the spotlight during the pandemic has given her some much-needed time to reevaluate her priorities. Now 36, and with two children, she enjoyed the extended time at home with her family – but is equally keen to get back to work. Her latest role is as the face of Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle fragrance, and the launch of the limited-edition Collection Eté. She’s been an ambassador for the French fashion house since 2007, when she was starring in the « Pirates of the Caribbean » franchise.

« I did always know that I wanted to work in acting, » she explains, when discussing what she’s learnt throughout her career. « I think you need to have a very thick skin. So I think if you don’t have one, then you need to go about trying to get one quite quickly. »

So, given how undeniably successful her career has been, what does success mean to her?

« Success is a funny one, » she says. « Because I think you can be incredibly successful and not feel incredibly successful. I think success is different for everybody. You can’t use other people as your benchmark – I think you have to find what feels right for you. »

Watch our exclusive video above in which Knightley shares what she’s learnt about love, friendship and beauty – as well as the life-changing piece of advice her mother gave her.

The July issue of Harper’s Bazaar is out now.

Source