ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Has getting nominated for an Oscar in 2006 changed things for you?
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY: No, not really — apart from the fact that it was a wonderful kind of pat on the back. I know that sounds like nothing, but it was actually really needed at that point. Before Pride & Prejudice, I'd done Bend it Like Beckham and Pirates, and they were incredibly successful films, but I think people were very much looking at me going, ''Oh, she's a pretty face, there isn't much else to her.'' And I was incredibly aware of that. I think you're aware of everything that's written about you when you first start. And then you learn not to read all that. [Laughs] And I knew people had thought it was ridiculous that I was cast as Elizabeth Bennet. So when the reviews came out, it really helped.

What's next?
I've got a film coming out next year, which my mom [playwright Sharman Macdonald] wrote. It's The Edge of Love, which is about Dylan Thomas. I play his childhood sweetheart. It's with Cillian Murphy and Sienna Miller and Matthew Rhys. Hopefully, fingers crossed, that'll be a good one. And next week, I start a film called The Duchess, which is about Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. It's got Ralph Fiennes and Charlotte Rampling.

Is it important for you to keep doing British films? Do you want to keep shuffling between Hollywood and British film industries?
Of course. Of course!

Because other people would say, ''If you can make it in Hollywood ...''
Why would you do British films as well? Well, I think if you can possibly do both, then that's really amazing.

Hollywood isn't distracting enough to keep you there forever?
No, it's not. Obviously, I want to work there, it would be stupid for anyone not to. They make more films in Hollywood for English speaking actors than anywhere else in the world. Naturally, you're going to get more work there than you are in England. And the history of Hollywood if you're in movies is very, very exciting. But I'm British. That's the culture I come from. It fascinates me. I think also, you know, the British film industry is tiny, but at the moment, there's such a huge wealth of talent that it's a really exciting time. I think obviously we have incredible crews that work in Britain, and if I can help bring work there in a small way to make sure that those people are working, then that's great.

Are you more comfortable on a British set?
I don't know. I like going home at night and sleeping in my own bed. I travel a lot. And for Pirates, we were all away for two years. Once I got to the end of that, I said, ''Whew, I really want to do some work in England.''

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