filed under: Keira Knightley

Actress Keira Knightley was happy to film a sex scene for her new movie "The Edge of Love," even though her mother wrote the naked romp.

Knightley's mom, Sharman Macdonald, penned the movie's screenplay. She also served as a producer on the project.

Knightley insists that knowing her mother is capable of writing about steamy clinches didn't faze her and she was happy to strip off wherever necessary.

She says, "She dared to put a sex scene in it. It didn't worry me that my mother knows what sex is.

"Come to think of it, I was found under an apple tree. My mother is a virgin. I had no hissy fits when she presented me with the scene."

Keira Knightley didn't hesitate when she was asked to bare her breasts in new movie The Edge Of Love - because she believes sex scenes are more believable when performed by naked actors.

The 23-year-old actress has no qualms about appearing in the buff, insisting nudity has even become a habit of hers.

She tells People magazine, "I always bare my breasts. It's not like it's only in this film!"

So when Edge Of Love filmmaker John Maybury requested her to remove her bra, she was happy to oblige: "I said, 'All right then.'

"It was very simple. It was a sex scene and I never like them when they've got bras on."

Keira Knightley clashed with her screenwriter mother Sharman MacDonald over their forthcoming movie The Edge Of Love - because the actress refused to play the part her mum had specifically written for her.

Macdonald told her daughter she had penned the role of Caitlin Thomas just for her in the upcoming film about Welsh poet Dylan Thomas - but the 23-year-old had other ideas.

Macdonald recalls, "I said, 'You're playing Caitlin,' and she said, 'No, I like Vera.'"

As a result, the part of Vera Phillips, one of the Welsh poet's love interests, was transformed - to Knightley's liking. Macdonald adds: "She wasn't even a singer until Keira decided to play her."

"They painted my tits on me for the films, which is extraordinary because it's kind of a dying art form - in the past, they used to have whole sections of the studios devoted to bosom make-up. And I loved it, completely loved it. Because it was the first time in my life I had big tits, and I didn't even need surgery.”

“She wants to bring out a range of cosmetics and fashion products. There could be hairspray, head scarves, liquid eyeliner, perfume. All the things that are distinctive of her look.”

Ellen: Why do you love posing nude?

Keira: I don’t know. People ask and I just say yes.

Ellen: You just say ok?

Keira: Yeah, I will learn to say no. At the moment, my friends actually have bets going on that I can’t actually do a photo shoot keeping my clothes on . . . I think I find it vaguely liberating, which I hope I don’t become a nudist.

Ellen: You’re on your way.

Keira: I am, I’m on my way.

It was a chilly night in Greenwich Village on Monday for Chanel's premiere of "Atonement." But its British stars heated up the red carpet with a surprisingly detailed behind-the-scenes description of their steamy sex scene.

"Any funny stories, any anecdotes?" James McAvoy (who made his reputation in 2006's "Last King of Scotland") mused aloud. "Lots ... being there while Keira Knightley was being told to [bleep] me off was a high point."

Excuse me? And did she?

"No, of course not."

I asked director Joe Wright if he ever delivered such a command. "Absolutely no comment," he said outside the Cinema Society screening. "I can't believe he told you that!"

Fortunately, Keira was able to sort it out for us.

"It was the sex scene, which I have to say I think is a really good sex scene," she told me. "But it was such a specific thing and it had to be so erotic that we did just say to Joe, 'Come on, talk us through it.'"

And compared to what Wright told the audience before the screening, that was actually one of the cleaner stories of the evening.

"The bath scene is very erotic. There's been a lot of talk about it and I suppose the whole lesbian m้nage-a-trois thing is great publicity for the film. Keira plays the temptress and I play a more reserved person. The setting in the Welsh hills couldn't be more sensual or entrancing."

Keira Knightley refuses to keep her clothes on in her movies.

The Oscar-nominated actress - who nearly bares all when she emerges from a pond dripping wet in see-through underwear in new movie 'Atonement' - insists nudity is important in acting.

Keira told Britain's The Times newspaper: "If I wasn't prepared to take my clothes off on screen there would be a whole area of my job that I couldn't explore. And I can't sacrifice my job because of that.

"If I didn't do that scene then maybe my life would be easier. There are plenty of actresses, and certainly a lot of American actresses, who wouldn't have done this part because of that.

"But I was passionate about it, and had to do it no matter what it demanded."

Keira Knightley would never leave the house without her underwear.

The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actress admits being a celebrity isn't easy, but insists fame is not an excuse to be caught going 'commando' in public.

Keira told Empire magazine: "The whole celebrity thing is not magic. They are just real people proving they are sluttier than everybody else because they don't wear any knickers."

The 22-year-old actress continued her thinly veil swipe at young female celebrities like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan - who have both been photographed without underwear and have checked into rehab several times this year - by slamming stars who are photographed drunkenly staggering out of nightclubs.

Keira said: "I'm not going to get blind drunk and then stumble out of a club and fall over and vomit in front of people. I'm not saying I don't do that in private, but I try not to."

Those things certainly weren't mine. We had an interesting discussion when they said: 'We want to make them slightly larger and you'll get approval' and I was like: 'OK, fine. I honestly don't give a shit.'

I don't have any tits, so I can't show cleavage.

The cast of Pirates Of The Caribbean sequel At World's End were encouraged not to wash or brush their teeth during the making of the movie - because director Gore Verbinski wanted them all to look and smell filthy. The moviemaker admits he spent months perfecting bad-teeth dentures for his scurvy actors and actresses, but still fears he may have missed an extra with a perfect smile. Verbinski tells Movies.com, "I just thought it would be more authentic to have pirates with bad teeth since I'm sure they never flossed. We spent a lot of time creating ugly dentures, but occasionally somebody would slip through. It would be like, 'What's with the guy in the background? His teeth are too clean.' Also, hold the deodorant. I wanted them to look smelly. They're (pirates) are not taking baths every day, they're probably not eating well and they have scurvy. And there's probably all sorts of strange things growing on them. I sort of wanted the film to be stinky."

“I don’t shower enough. My natural smell is rather musky. Coco Mademoiselle is the first women’s perfume I’ve ever worn. I need something clean.”