More Than Just a Period Face: Sexualized Exploitation, Defiance, Complicity, and a Search for Feminist Agency in Keira Knightley’s Acting Career

British star Keira Knightley has been classified as someone with a “period face,” a harmful stereotype perpetuated by her collaboration with director Joe Wright. This classification limits her capabilities as an actor and complicates her desire to inhabit tomboy characters, an authentic persona she had identified with growing up. By breaking down her career into three acts, I uncover the impact of her filmography from sexualized exploitation to feminist agency.