Knightley 'escaped' into 'Duchess' role

Rex Features

Keira Knightley has revealed that she enjoyed being able to 'escape' into her Duchess role.

The actress took on the part of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, for the movie, which was released earlier this month.

"For me, what I love about film is its complete escapism. I find personally that these costumes, these weird societies, help me to forget my life," Knightley explained. "I actually just dive into the story. I think that's why as an actress I like being in them as well. It's a way into a fantastic fantasy world."

Asked about Cavendish, she replied: "I thought she was fabulous. A fascinating character who was politically so influential, such a huge fashion icon and such a force of nature. And yet privately she was so intensely vulnerable. She was incredibly lonely."

Knightley defended the film before its release following claims that producers had exaggerated a link between Cavendish and Princess Diana in promotional material.

Reflecting on the row, she added: "I didn't look into [Diana] as inspiration, partly because [The Duchess] is really based on such a wonderful biography. We did intend to make the film about Georgiana, not Diana."