Keira Knightley starred in one of the most popular Christmas films of the 21st century, the 2003 romantic comedy “Love Actually." Her new Netflix series “Black Doves" is also set during the holidays, but in this, she plays a spy alongside Ben Whishaw's assassin. Knightley says the show, debuting Thursday, falls under the “Die Hard” category of Christmas fare.
“It’s like, ‘I’ve spent too much time with my family, I hate them all, I need to watch something blow up,’" Knightley said during a recent interview alongside Whishaw. “If you’re having a nice time, you can watch ‘Love Actually.’ And if you’re feeling quite cross, you can watch ‘Black Doves.' Christmas entertainment is provided. You're welcome!"
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Knightley's character Helen is a spy for a secret agency called Black Doves, which has no alliances but is contracted by the highest bidder. When Helen's lover is murdered, an old friend, Sam (played by Whishaw), who calls himself a “trigger man,” is brought in to protect her. He also vows to help Helen get revenge.
“It’s appealing to do something you’ve never done before," said Whishaw. "I felt like the character had this sort of core truth, even though they all are in a quite heightened world where it is possible to be sort of blasted out of a five-story building and not get a scratch.”
Knightley also found something relatable about her character — everyone has different sides of themselves that they show to different people.
“I have two kids. My identity as a mother is very big, but I also hold quite contradictory identities within myself, which are also true but don’t necessarily exist at the same time as I am being a mother," she said.
She also loved that Sam and Helen's friendship is "between these two very strange characters,” said Knightley. “They can’t be themselves with anybody else in the world, but they can be their whole selves with each other.”
The roles on the show are atypical for a spy series. Sam and Helen report to a woman as their stoic spy director, played by Sarah Lancashire. Women were also cast to play the heads of crime syndicates. Sam is a lethal killer who happens to be gay.
“It’s always more interesting doing things which are less expected," said the show's creator Joe Barton of his casting choices.
The job gave Whishaw the opportunity to learn stunts and appear in action sequences which he found “frightening" in the beginning.
“I hadn’t done that sort of stuff before. And I guess if I’m honest, I am very slightly built and I feel like (action) is the territory or the terrain of like, big blokes. I had to really get over something in myself but I’m pleased I did.”