Keira Knightley is an icon of Disney thanks to “Pirates of the Caribbean” and her new role of the Sugar Fairy in “The Nutcracker and the Four Kingdoms”, but the actress has not hesitated to rebel against classics of the studio as “Cinderella” or “The Little Mermaid” for her unfeminist messages.
The British interpreter appeared last week on the Ellen DeGeneres show and said she had banned her 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter from seeing those classic company titles.
“‘Cinderella’ is forbidden, we wait for a rich guy to come and rescue her, no, do it yourself, obviously, ‘The Little Mermaid’ I love and the songs are great, but do not give up your own voice for a man “, affirmed then to the applause of the public.
However, those words generated some controversy and found numerous criticisms in the network, considering that these stories are fantasies and that it should be the parents who educate and discuss the content with their children.
When asked by Efe about it, Knightley did not shrink and stressed her feelings: “What we teach our children is very important and there are certain messages that I do not want my daughter to take home.”
“It’s not right for a stranger to kiss you while you sleep and without your consent,” the artist said in clear reference to “The Sleeping Beauty.” “In my house we really enjoy the current Disney movies, like ‘Moana’, ‘Frozen’ or ‘Inside Out’, but those that I say we do not allow,” he added.
“The nutcracker and the four kingdoms”, premiered on November 2, is a luxurious overproduction based on the fairy tale written by E.T.A. Hoffman in 1816, versioned by Alexandre Dumas and adapted to the ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston (his replacement when shooting new scenes, since the Swedish filmmaker was not available), the film features a cast that also includes Mackenzie Foy, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Eugenio Derbez and Richard E. Grant, among others.
Knightley, in a meeting with a small group of media, including Efe, was enthusiastic about her role as the Sugar Fairy.
“It’s probably different from how I imagined her as a child,” she admitted with her characteristic smile.
“Logically, there’s not a lot of documentation about the character, I watched a lot of ballet videos on YouTube and I focused on tuning the most famous part of ‘The Nutcracker’ to incorporate it into the character’s laughter, and I invented a very sweet voice and I wanted to make this film because it was going to allow me to act very silly, “he said.
The actress, 33, explained that Disney offered her the role and that she did not hesitate because she had just come to do “Thérèse Raquin” in the theater, a work by Émile Zola very dark.
“I wanted to touch the other end and for that, nothing better than a character who wants to look like a cake and a lot of pink glitter, it’s like a doll that has come to life,” said Knightley, who has already starred in another Christmas classic 15 years ago. : “Love Actually”.
“It’s my second offering for the season, I’ll be back with another one in 15 years,” he said amused.
In “The Nutcracker and the Four Kingdoms,” a 14-year-old girl named Clara (Foy), who has received the heavy blow of her mother’s death, travels to a magical world filled with ginger soldiers and an army of mice .
“The message of the film is that any girl can save the world, she’s the one who goes on an adventure and rescues everyone, there were no such stories in my childhood, it’s not the princess waiting to be rescued in the tower. an engineer and she does the dirty work herself, “said the artist.
And since the plot of the film speaks of dreams, Knightley did not hesitate to list what “miracles” he would like to see become reality.
“Real equality, reversing climate change, reversing the ‘brexit’? Yes, those three things,” he said, before delving into the issue of gender inequality.
“You have to hope that things will get better, otherwise you would not have been a mother,” women in England (referring to health workers) charge 23 percent less than men for doing the same job. it would be a positive start, “he concluded.
