WATCH: ‘Anna Karenina’ Star Keira Knightley on Coping with Criticism

Keira Knightley in ‘Anna Karenina’ (Photo: Working Title)

It’s still five months to go, but Oscar predicting is already well underway and in the best actress race Keira Knightley has been marked as a possible contender for playing the title role in a new adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.

At this point Knightley isn’t a frontrunner, but she’s deemed within reach of a nomination.

It’s clear that the actress has put a lot of work into her portrayal and many critics think she really shines. But some are less impressed pointing out that she always looks like she’s acting.

The film has already been released in the U.K. – and it was screened earlier this month at the Toronto Film Festival.

Knightley is well aware of the degree to which she’s scrutinized.

“It’s the most annoying thing. I try not to read anything at all, and then I always come across probably the worst review ever. I was really careful not to read anything. I went on the internet in order to find a play and saw the worst review that was right there. I always see the bad ones,” she says.

The actress tries to put the whole business of reviews in perspective. She says: “The thing about films is it’s always subjective, and even if you get a film that wins every single Oscar and gets nearly every single brilliant review, there’s always going to be the people that hate it.”

She thinks it’s important to be careful who you turn to for critical feedback.

“I’ve got a group of people who I always take the criticism from, because it’s opinions that I know and trust and really, really value,” she says.

Anna Karenina will be released in U.S. cinemas on November 16.