I THINK I ALWAYS DISAPPOINT PEOPLE

By Robin Walker

Keira Knightley returns to island life for Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, opening on Thursday July 6. The British actress opens up about being twice the size of her Hollywood counterparts.

Pouting Keira Knightley is barely 21 but she's already tasted the highs and lows of film stardom. It's been mostly good news for the pretty Londoner since she burst onto the scene in Bend It Like Beckham four years ago - although her 2005 outing as bounty hunter Domino Harvey is perhaps best forgotten. With Dead Man's Chest, the second instalment of the popular Pirates Of The Caribbean trilogy hitting screens worldwide, sparky Keira can expect another boost to her box office appeal. However the young actress is down-to-earth enough not to let it go to her head. She says growing up in a showbiz family - her dad is actor Will Knightley and her mum is playwright Sharman Macdonald - taught her how quickly the roles can dry up.

"I'm very aware that this is a profession that comes and goes in a second. That's what makes it beautiful," she concedes.

"You have to enjoy your moment because it's only a moment and then it's gone. I know the highs and I know the lows and I know how lucky I am." While Keira received critical acclaim - and an Oscar nomination - forher depiction of Elizabeth in last year's Pride And Prejudice, it's the swashbuckling Pirates Of The Caribbean films that have put her career on the boil in Hollywood. The second film, Dead Man's Chest, is another wild ride as Keira teams up again with Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. When Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) has to find a way out of his debt to the mysterious Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), Elizabeth (Keira) and Will (Bloom) get caught up in the ensuing misadventure - even though it wrecks their wedding plans.

After the phenomenal success of The Curse Of The Black Pearl three years ago there has been enormous pressure to complete the trilogy.

Filming began in February 2005 and lasted until early this year, as the cast scrambled to shoot the second and third films back to back in Mexico and Los Angeles.

Being on location off and on for such a long shoot was tough, Keira admits. "You slightly get island fever because there's not a lot to do. Those islands (in Mexico) are great for a holiday, but not for months and months. "I'm not sorry I got involved in these films because it has been a really great experience," she says. "But it's just such a long time. I've never read so many books in my life!"

On the other hand she loves being an action girl. There's a real tomboy quality to Keira despite her very English upbringing.

"I have to admit I really enjoy doing action, you feel like you're 11 again on a playground. I just love to fight, jump and sweat on these big action films," she grins.While some actors shy away from sequels, Keira says she welcomed the chance to rejoin the Pirates crew.

"It's like piecing together a jigsaw and you feel like you've accomplished something at the end of a day," she says. "It's all the same people again and the cast is fantastic. They're a beautiful bunch of guys to work with."

Another incentive was that her character has been allowed to 'grow' between films. "It's the first time I've played a character twice with a few years in between. What's been nice is we've said, 'OK, they've grown up a bit so we can let the characters evolve," she says.

Before the release of the third film, At World's End, Keira will be seen in Atonement, based on the Ian McEwan novel, with Vanessa Redgrave and James McAvoy.

Taking on such an eclectic mix of roles is all part of the thrill, Keira says.

"That's why I did Domino straight after Pride And Prejudice, it was terrifying. In life I think I play things very safe but in my professional life I take risks. I think that's the only way to do it."

She may be a name in Hollywood but Keira resists moving there. She even admits to avoiding the obligatory gym visits.

"In Los Angeles I'm twice the size, height and everything else of most of the other actresses who are going for auditions," she sighs. "I think I always disappoint people because they always expect someone very pretty, very done."

And Hollywood men don't appeal either, she says, which may explain why she's currently dating fellow British actor Rupert Friend.

While he's no slouch in the looks department, Keira says she likes men who don't worry too much about how they look.

"British guys don't take as much stock of their appearance," she says. "Ask an American guy what his beauty regime is and he'll tell you. Ask a Brit, and he'll say, 'Er....Guinness?' I like that."

While she has finally bought a flat in London, in reality Keira is a bit of a gypsy, spending most of her time on film sets in different locations. Working hard and having a close circle of friends like fellow actress Sienna Miller provide respite from the fame.

"On film sets it's a very protective kind of bubble, which is fantastic," she says. "You're cut off from the reality of the outside world."

Acting is all very well, but it's the film-making process itself that really gets her excited.

"Forget about being an actor, I love watching films," she smiles. "I'm just fascinated in how they're put together, it's absolutely incredible. To see somebody's vision up on the screen is amazing."

Real name: Keira Christina Knightley

Birthdate: March 26, 1985

Significant other: Rumoured to be actor Rupert Friend

Career high: Best Actress Oscar nomination for Pride and Prejudice this
year

Career low: Her first major flop last year with Domino

Famous for: Refusing to fit the Hollywood starlet mould

Words of wisdom: "When in doubt, faint."