Keira Knightley wishes she sounded like Adele or Shirley Bassey.
The British actress is currently starring in romantic drama Begin Again, opposite Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld and James Corden.
She takes on the role of Greta, a singer songwriter who's recently arrived in Manhattan. A chance encounter with a disgraced music exec soon turns into a magical collaboration.
"I’d have preferred it if I’d opened my mouth and Adele’s voice had come out... or Shirley Bassey’s! If I suddenly found I had either of those voices I’d have been [f**king] thrilled, but it definitely wasn’t one of those...” Keira laughed to British newspaper Express about her vocal abilities.
The movie also stars Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine as Greta's boyfriend, who suddenly finds fame and dumps her.
The musical flick allowed Keira to add another string to her bow, and while she may not have Adele's vocal range, she proved she's quite able to hold a tune.
“The songs weren’t finished until two days before I had to record them in the studio. I had singing lessons and sang lots of scales to figure out what my range was and to strengthen my voice.
“Greta’s not meant to like performing so that was quite helpful, it was part of the character, which was good because, with nerves, you generally just have to get rid of them because that’s what your job is as an actor," she pondered.
The film has been released in America, and gets its UK airing next month, but Keira isn't fazed by what the critics may say.
While she confesses to reading reviews when she first started out, the 29-year-old star no longer worries herself with what others think.
"There’s such a huge number of people involved in making a film. Even though you’re the one front and centre your control over whether a whole film works isn’t very great, so you can’t take the whole thing on your shoulders.
“You just have to judge things by the experience you have making them and not the end result, because sometimes the end result is great but if you’ve had a [sh*t] time making it that’s not good either," she divulged.
