in their own words: keira knightley // 11 Feb 2011

As featured in UK Elle magazine, March 2011

{images & words via Elle}
on banning technology from her home: “I can literally just sit and not do anything for hours and hours and hours and if there is something completely mind-numbing to do, like surfing the internet or watching crappy TV, I’ll do it and then I’ll feel s**t about myself. So I try and get rid of it. A lot of my friends don’t have TVs, either. It might be spreading. But what’s nice is that when I do see it, it’s such a treat. I did a photoshoot in Cornwall recently and a friend of mine was on the shoot and we literally just sat in my room watching Strictly Come Dancing. We were like, “This is amazing.” We were talking about it weeks afterwards.”
on missing out on certain aspects of life: “I had an amazing time, it was extraordinary, but the difference was between my age and my experience. I’d experienced a lot, work-wise, but as far as normal progression… I’d never sat in pubs with friends, I’d never been out clubbing. Any of the things you normally do at uni, I’d bypassed. So on one level I was very grown-up and on another level with the whole social thing, I was really far behind.”
on being socially inept: “Going into a room full of people at a party I find one of the most terrifying things in the entire world. I normally last about 10 minutes. I’m a complete failure. I went to one the other day. Standing in the corner, couldn’t find anything to say, just ran out. Awful. My friends are like, “What are you – an idiot? What’s the matter with you?” I just can’t. I get completely paralysed with shyness, just totally paralysed.”
on clearing up her acne: “I had really bad skin for ages and went to so many different people to try and figure out what it was, and eventually a friend said, “Why don’t you just try using soap and water?” So I did and it cleared up. And I stopped wearing as much make-up. Because you know what it’s like, if you get spots you try and cover it, so I was just slapping it on and feeling so horrible about myself. And my friend was just like, “Stop.” So I stopped and it was amazing.”