The British star was an extra in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

The internet is sometimes not a very lovely place, not least when you decide to pick a fight with hundreds of thousands of Star Wars fans like Keira Knightley just did.

What many people don’t know is that the star was an extra in The Phantom menace. She was only 12-years-old at the time, and speaking in a recent interview to Total Film said that she fell asleep on set.

To be honest – we’re kinda on her side. Knightly played the role of Padme Amidala’s (played by Natalie Portman) decoy double in the film.

To add insult to injury to people who worship the ground the Jedi walk on, Knightly said she didn’t much enjoy any aspect of the filming:

“I mean, I was 12. I literally don’t remember… I remember the headdress being so heavy; it gave me a headache. I really remember the headache from one of the headdresses.

“And I remember being in the background for such a long time that I’d actually fallen asleep.

“I was just sitting in a chair, and I was in the background, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I really remember that. But apart from that, I don’t remember anything else about it.”

Knightley will next appear in drama Misbehaviour, about the Women’s Liberation Movement which disrupted the Miss World Pageant in the 1970s.

Let’s hope she stayed awake for most of that one.


Esquire now has a newsletter – sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.

Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit ‘Like’ on our Esquire Facebook page and ‘Follow’ on our @esquiremiddleeast Instagram and Twitter account.

RELATED CONTENT