Knightley, Wright clash over Atonement character
Keira Knightley and director Joe Wright almost came to blows before they began filming Atonement, because they couldn't agree over which character the actress should play.
Wright directs Knightley and James McAvoy as star-crossed lovers Cecilia Tallis and Robbie Turner in the upcoming big screen adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel, but the Oscar-nominated actress admits the filmmaker originally wanted her to play Tallis' younger sister Briony.
Knightley tells British film magazine Empire: "Joe thought I should play the middle Briony but I read the script and instantly liked Cecilia. I loved her acerbic quality. I have never done that - she is hiding so much.
"So we had this big long talk where I was arguing for Briony. We finally decided on Cecilia because she has none of that Elizabeth Bennet vibe."
Wright directed Knightley in her critically-acclaimed performance as Elizabeth Bennet in the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel Pride & Prejudice.
