Star Wars: Keira Knightley Played A Character You Likely Forgot Existed
While her role as Jules in the 2002 independent soccer dramedy "Bend it Like Beckham" put Keira Knightley on the map, the actor's turn as Elizabeth Swann in the 2003 smash "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" introduced her to movie audiences worldwide.
Four years before Knightley set sail with "Pirates," however, she was featured in another blockbuster film — but in a role that largely flew under the radar. That's because Knightley essentially played Natalie Portman's on-screen double in 1999's "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" as Sabé, a handmaiden who served as a decoy for Queen Padmé Amidala (Portman). As such, Knightley was concealed in makeup as Amidala per the queen's protocol, while Portman hid in plain sight sans the makeup as a handmaiden.
The film's casting director, Robin Gurland, told London Daily Variety in 1999 (via the Royal Handmaiden's Society) that Sabé was a tough role to cast. "Originally, we were going to use a stand-in, but that was before we found a girl by the name of Keira Knightley," Gurland told the publication. "She was only [12] at the time of principal photography, [four] years younger than Natalie Portman, but nevertheless the resemblance is striking. I wouldn't be surprised if she fools quite a few of the fans."
According to Star Wars Fandom, even the actors' mothers had difficulty figuring out who their daughters were. Complicating things even further, the site noted, Portman dubbed over Knightley's lines in the film so Sabé would sound more like Amidala.
Knightley's memories of The Phantom Menace are faint
Originally, Keira Knightley's parents didn't want her to audition for "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" since it was a big step from her previous TV roles to film and they feared it would be a negative experience. But since the opportunity was for a "Star Wars" movie, Knightley won the argument with her parents, and as a result, won the role of Sabé.
While "The Phantom Menace" was no doubt a high-profile film to make her big-screen debut in, Knightley admits that she has very few memories of it. "I mean, I was 12. I literally don't remember ... I remember the headdress being so heavy, it gave me a headache," Knightley told Total Film in a 2020 interview. "... 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."
Fans hoping for more memories from Knightley should temper their expectations. The actor told Coming Soon in 2020 that she's only seen "The Phantom Menace" only once, which was in theaters when the film premiered in 1999. "And I never saw it again. I hope she lived a long and happy life somewhere in a planet far, far away," Knightley told the publication.
Knightley wasn't the only star who turned up in the "Star Wars" film. Fans may also forget Sofia Coppola appeared in "The Phantom Menace" as one of Amidala's other handmaidens.