Directors Defend Keira Knightley After She’s Slammed By Begin Again Helmsman

Directors who have worked with Keira Knightley have rallied to her defence, after she was slated by ‘Begin Again’ helmsman John Carney.

Carney said he’d never consider casting a 'supermodel’ like Knightley again, criticising her performance and the supposed 'entourage’ that comes with her.

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But Mark Romanek, who directed her in the 2010 movie 'Never Let Me Go’, has trashed the Irish director for the remarks.

“My experience with #keiraknightley was utterly spectacular on every level. I have no clue what this guy is talking about. #arrogants***head,” he tweeted.

“My recollection of #keiraknightley’s “entourage” was that her mum visited the set one day for an hour or two.”

“I agree with Mark. Keira was a joy to work w/. Present & easy & really, really good at her job. Just lovely,” added 'Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist director Lorene Scafaria, who presided over Knightley’s performance in 'Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World’.

Carney made the comments during an interview with The Independent, praising co-stars Mark Ruffalo and Adam Levine, but criticising Knightley.

“I like working with actors and I wanted to come back to what I knew and enjoy film-making again – not that I didn’t enjoy Begin Again but Keira has an entourage that follow her everywhere so it’s very hard to get any real work done, and so I was very ready to come back to Ireland and make films that nobody cared about who was in it or any of that crap,” he said.

“Keira’s thing is to hide who you are and I don’t think you can be an actor and do that.

“I don’t want to rubbish Keira, but you know it’s hard being a film actor and it requires a certain level of honesty and self-analysis that I don’t think she’s ready for yet and I certainly don’t think she was ready for on that film.”

Carney’s latest movie, the musical comedy-drama 'Sing Street’, stars Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, 'Game of Thrones’ star Aidan Gillen and Maria Doyle Kennedy.

Image credits: WENN/Twitter/Weinstein Company