The reigning queen of period pieces, Keira Knightley, knows a thing or two about historical clothing.
“Lining. Lining is always important,” the Oscar-nominated actress playfully advised on Wednesday at the premiere of her post-WWII drama “Aftermath.” “If you get a lot of itchy stuff always put lining in it. I have learned that from having done a number of these. Now I know, always ask for lining.”
Reflecting on the script that highlights a love triangle in the midst of rebuilding Germany in 1946, Knightley told Variety, “I read it and thought I can’t do another World War II film. And then it just really stuck in my head, and I think it is because what I never realized was that the real triumph of that generation was actually that they managed to rebuild that continent. It was utterly destroyed by that conflict…I thought, God, I never actually thought about it and how extraordinary it is. When I was in school, at least, we were never taught about how to rebuild. And it seems quite important.“
Leaping from historical clothing to modern day looks, the actress stunned at the Cinema Society-hosted premiere dressed in a flowing chatruese Valentino floor-length gown as she took the stage with director James Kent along with producers Malte Grunert and Jack Arbuthnott to open the film.
Knightley made a grand entrance to the after-party at the Whitby Hotel wearing a dazzling red number. Within seconds, party guest Sean Young embraced Knightley before snapping a selfie.
Other notable attendees included Fox Searchlight’s Nancy Utley and Stephen Gilula and Kate Walsh, Charlie Heaton, Damon J. Gillespie, Lena Hall, and Fern Mallis.
Missing from the premiere was co-star Alexander Skarsgård, who Knightley shares steamy scenes with on the screen.
“I have seen ‘Big Little Lies,’ Knightley said. “He is wonderful in it. I mean [his character] is awful, but wonderful. He is just lovely.”
CREDIT: Kristina Bumphrey/StarPix/REX/Sh