In conversation with Farewell director Lulu Wang and writer-producer Diane Solway on the Chanel Connects podcast, the English actress has revealed she isn’t comfortable filming intimate sequences if the director is a man.

Keira Knightley Says She Isn’t Comfortable Portraying The Male Gaze In Sex Scenes

“If I was making a story that was about that journey of motherhood and body acceptance, I feel like, I’m sorry, but that would have to be with a female film-maker,” Knightley said.

“I don’t have an absolute ban, but I kind of do with men,” she added.

She also said: “I don’t want it to be those horrible sex scenes where you’re all greased up and everybody is grunting. I’m not interested in doing that.”

Knightley then explained that she is “too vain” to film certain scenes. She has previously revealed she has had a "no nudity clause" added to her film contracts since becoming a mother in 2015.

“I feel very uncomfortable now trying to portray the male gaze. Saying that, there’s times where I go, ‘Yeah, I completely see where this sex would be really good in this film and you basically just need somebody to look hot,’” she said.

“So therefore you can use somebody else, because I’m too vain and the body has had two children now and I’d just rather not stand in front of a group of men naked,” she added.

Related: 10 Times Women Celebrities Shut Down Sexist Interview Questions

Sexist Trolls Slam Keira Knightley, Completely Missing The Point

The two-time Oscar nominee also weighed in on the gap between the male and female experiences being explored on screen and in the arts in general.

“We all empathize with men hugely because, culturally, their experience is so explored,” she said on the podcast.

“We know so many aspects of even male sexuality. But we don’t feel like men can say, ‘Yes, I understand what you’re talking about because I’ve got this wealth of art and film and theater and TV from your point of view,’” she added.

Her comments attracted a plethora of sexist trolls on social platforms. Those slamming the actress appear to ignore how crucial it is for the female experience to be told from a female perspective — and the importance of onset intimacy coordinators to choreograph sex scenes.

Knightley fans stood in solidarity with the actress, shutting down the negative comments on social media.

"Keira Knightley being the boss as usual," @Soffimoon wrote.

“A lot of men are upset because Keira Knightley refuses to get naked in front of random men. I don't know which part of ‘her body, her choice’ is too complex for them to understand but a mandatory viewing of @PromisingFilm should be probably court ordered for them all nonetheless,” @effoff1988 wrote, referencing Carey Mulligan’s latest movie, Promising Young Woman.

“Super important statement from Keira Knightley on sex scenes, the male gaze, #intimacy and women on screen,” @MezzoRosie wrote.

Knightley, known for her roles on period dramas such as Joe Wright’s adaptations of Pride and Prejudice and Atonement, has recently appeared on film Misbehaviour. She will next star in holiday movie Silent Night, alongside Matthew Goode and Annabelle Wallis.

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