Colette - Keira Knightley and Dominic West Interview

Keira Knightley and Dominic West in, Colette

Melodrama, corsets and scandal! Keira Knightley is back doing what she does best in the new film, Colette.

The French novelist Colette may be best known for her novella Gigi, which was made into a 1951 Broadway musical starring a pre-fame Audrey Hepburn (who was discovered by the author herself), and then into an Oscar-winning 1958 film starring Leslie Caron.

The new film based on Colette’s life is set in the late 1890’s and centers around her first marriage to Henry Gauthier-Villars, known as Willy, a Svengali type who encouraged her to write, and then took credit for her extremely popular work. 

Starring Keira Knightley and Dominic West (The Affair) the film also depicts her resulting sexual awakening and refusal to bow to oppressive societal rules. 

I spoke with Keira Knightley and Dominic West about the film during the Toronto International Film Festival.   We got chatted about why Keira was so intrigued by her, how Dominic manages to play cads so well,( have you SEEN The Affair?) and also about why this film is so relevant today.

You can watch the full chat in the video below.

Colette is playing on limited screens in the Unites States and opens in some cities throughout Canada on September 28th. The movie is directed by Wash Westmoreland and also stars Denise Gough, Fiona Shaw, Robert Pugh, and Eleanor Tomlinson.