Knightley Muscles Up for 'King Arthur'

July 9, 2004 -- Keira Knightley has already played a damsel in distress. Now, she's more like a warrior princess — a woman on top, and in more ways than one.

In the new movie King Arthur, Knightley transforms Guinevere into a sword-wielding hero who sends arrows through invading Saxon warriors.

The 19-year-old actress, who shot to stardom last summer in the action blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The difference this summer is that now, she's more a part of the action.

"What's amazing about this Guinevere is she's so strong," says Knightley. "She's independent. She's very manipulative. She's very calculating. And I think that you sort of see that. She's on top in the love scene, which is something that we rarely see, you know, which is good."

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer's retelling of the King Arthur legend is a far cry from Camelot. Most people think that Arthur is just a myth. But Bruckheimer based his version on the archaeological roots of the real King Arthur, presented here as a half-Roman, half-British hero who rose to defend England as the Roman Empire crumbled.

The film is set in the Dark Ages, not the later medieval period with which the Arthurian tales are usually associated. Lancelot is there, and he vies with Arthur for Guinevere's love, setting up one of the most famous love triangles ever. But these knights don't spend too much time sitting around the Round Table. There's no Excalibur, and Merlin isn't a magician.

Knightley was shocked when filmmakers asked her to put on some weight for the role. "They said, 'Bulk up. We need you to be bigger,' " she said. "You know, I went up a dress size, which I was quite proud of … so there was a point when I couldn't fit into some of my clothes."

The intensity of the battle scenes initially earned the Disney movie an R rating. Bruckheimer had to edit some of the blood and violence to get a PG-13 for the film, a near necessity if it is to attract younger audiences and live up to box-office expectations.