British actress Keira Knightley arrives for the London's premiere of her film The Edge of Love at a hotel in London, Thursday, June 19, 2008 :

Keira Knightley has argued that her new film The Edge of Love, about the two women in Dylan Thomas' life, is really about female camaraderie. In the John Maybury film, based on the life of the Welsh poet (Matthew Rhys), Knightley plays his childhood sweetheart Vera Phillips while Sienna Miller stars as Caitlin MacNamara, his wife.

But while it could be expected that the wartime drama would be a tale of two women warring for the heart of one man, the actress see the film as the story of an unusual bond between rivals.

"I think it is a story about female friendship and female rivalry and about a friendship that manages to surpass a bloke," Knightley explained on ITV1's LK Today. "I was trying to be intelligent there but completely failed!" she joked.

Miller added that the bond between the two women is "really rare". "I think both of them are a little bit lonely and they had never really had this kind of a relationship with a woman before and it was kind of, almost, born out of their love for the same man," she added.

Despite loving the same man, both Caitlin and Vera struggle to remain faithful, with Vera's husband William Killick (Cillian Murphy) damaged by both his experiences in the forces and his insecurity over his wife's relationship with Dylan. And according to Knightley, the pain and deceit that go hand in hand with romance are the central themes of the film. "I think the whole thing is about the reality of relationships and how you can ruin something, how people aren't always good, how people aren't always honourable," she explained.

The Edge of Love is released on June 20th.

Keira Knightley's mother has slammed reports that her daughter has 'anorexia' - an eating disorder. Sharman Macdonaldhas accused 'playground bullies' for persistent rumours about her the 23-year-old's waif-like figure.

Macdonald, a playwright, said that her daughter has a genetic predisposition not to put on weight, inherited from her father. She said Knightley, best known for her roles in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, has been forced to adopt a diet high in protein and carbohydrates to make sure that she does not become too thin. Like the actress' father, Will Knightley, a theatre actor, she must 'eat like a horse" to maintain a healthy body weight.

"She has always been thin. She's her daddy's daughter, with his long body," Times Online quoted Macdonald, as saying.

Macdonald revealed that the actress had been put on a tailored diet to bulk up for her role as Guinevere in the 2004 film 'King Arthur'. However, she had been forced to abandon it because she was eating less than normal and was losing weight.

Knightley remained stick-thin, and her bust was digitally enhanced for American posters advertising the film. While the Oscar-nominated actress has admitted that her grandmother and great-grandmother suffered from anorexia, she says she has not inherited it.

Macdonald said that the false accusations are distressing but felt helpless to stop them. "It's a playground situation that we're looking at with the press - it's a form of bullying - but what can we do?" she said.

Although their characters compete for the affections of the same man in The Edge Of Love, there was no sign of onscreen rivalry spilling over into real life when close pals Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley hit Edinburgh for the premiere of the Dylan Thomas bio-pic on Wednesday.



"She's one of my favourite girls!" announced Sienna as the new best friends shared laughs at the screening, which kicked off the Scottish capital's film festival.

And the screening of the new romantic drama, in which the girls are linked by their love for the charismatic Welsh poet - played by hunky Matthew Rhys - was an extra special occasion for Pirates Of The Caribbean star Keira. Not only did she attend with gal pal Sienna, but her mum, Sharman Macdonald, wrote the screenplay.

Also enjoying the glitzy evening was Scottish former 007 star Sean Connery, who was on top form despite a minor injury. The 77-year-old, accompanied by his French wife Micheline Roquebrune, was sporting a sling after chipping a bone in his shoulder during a round of golf last week.

Keira Knightley has no problem going nude in front of the camera. The 23-year-old actress was happy to whip her bra off during a sex scene with Cillian Murphy in ‘The Edge of Love’.

She said: "It was very simple. It was a sex scene and I never like them when they've got bras on. So when asked I said, ‘alright then’."

This isn’t the first time Keira has stripped off in a movie. The British star previously filmed steamy scenes for ‘Domino’ and ‘Atonement’. While the actress is happy to bare her flesh on the big screen, she is terrified of singing in front of the cameras.

Keira, who has previously spoken about her reluctance to sing in ‘The Edge of Love’, is set to receive singing lessons for the role of Eliza Doolittle in the remake of ‘My Fair Lady’. The actress is determined her vocal abilities will be in tip-top shape when she belts out the movie’s classic songs, including ‘The Rain In Spain’ and ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?’. My ‘Fair Lady’ is due to start shooting in 2010.

Keira Knightley has moved to France to be closer to her boyfriend. The 'Atonement' actress has joined actor Rupert Friend in Paris - where he is currently filming new movie 'Cheri' alongside Michelle Pfeiffer - so they can spend more time together.

A source said: "Keira was missing Rupert. She decided to give herself a break because last year she was so busy. Rupert, however, has been working on movies back-to-back.

Some people on set have been joking that Keira wants to keep an eye on him because he has some love scenes with Michelle but Rupert and Keira are very happy." Friends say the couple - who have been dating since 2004 - experienced a rocky patch in their romance earlier this year over Rupert's hectic schedule but they are now happier than ever.

The source added: "They seem to be getting on a lot better. Keira is cooking for him and looking after him."

Keira Knightley and Anthony Hopkins have signed on to star in the movie adaptation of Shakespearean tragedy 'King Lear'. The Oscar nominated star will play the role of Cordelia, the youngest daughter of the King.

Anthony Hopkins has signed on to star as the monarch, with Gwyneth Paltrow tipped to bag the role of the Lear's treacherous middle daughter Regan. The role of the eldest daughter, Goneril, is yet to be cast, reports the Telegraph.

With a budget of 35 million dollars, the movie will feature epic battle sequences. The movie was announced at the Cannes Film Festival.

Screen captures of Keira's performance in "Pure" have been added to our gallery :