Keira Knightley Is Really Famous, But Admits Fans Mix Her Up With Star Wars Co-Star Natalie Portman All The Time

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In the early 2000s, Keira Knightley was incredibly famous, largely because of her role as Elizabeth Swann in the blockbuster *Pirates of the Caribbean* films. She also starred in popular movies like *Star Wars*, *Love Actually*, and *Bend it Like Beckham*. While I think she’s fantastic, some fans surprisingly seem to prefer Natalie Portman!

While promoting her new movie The Woman in Cabin 10, Keira Knightley revealed that she gets approached by fans all the time. The only problem? They aren’t always her fans. She told HitsRadioUK she’s so used to this happening now that when fans send Portman a compliment, she just openly accepts it, saying:

People often mistake me for Natalie Portman, and they usually tell me how much they admire her. I always politely say, ‘You’re welcome!’ after they express their appreciation.

Many people recognize Natalie Portman, but fans of *Star Wars* are likely familiar with the common mistake. Portman herself has acknowledged that people often confuse her with Keira Knightley.

When *The Phantom Menace* came out in 1999, Keira Knightley famously played a decoy Queen Amidala, while Natalie Portman played the actual queen disguised as a handmaiden. It’s still common for people to get the two actresses mixed up in the film, and even Knightley sometimes forgets which role she played. Perhaps that’s not surprising! But in person, you’d likely never confuse them – Keira Knightley has grown into a woman around 5’7” tall, while Natalie Portman remains around 5’3” – a height she’s playfully known for even in her Marvel roles.

Keira Knightley Can Always Tell When A ‘Real’ Fan Knows Who She Is

I’m a huge fan, and it’s awesome to see so many young, sporty kids still look up to her, especially because of *Bend It Like Beckham*. She was just talking about what people recognize her from, and she said in a recent interview…

I really enjoy *Bend it Like Beckham* because it features girls playing soccer. It’s great to see young girls still getting involved in the sport, and they often recognize me and tell me how much they like the film – it’s a really wonderful thing to experience.

Dedicated fans who are familiar with her work likely balance out any confusion caused by those who still mistakenly associate her with *Star Wars* after all these years.

It’s not uncommon for people to confuse celebrities who look alike. For example, many people mistake Mark Wahlberg for Matt Damon – though Damon at least knows who Jesse Plemons is! The mix-up between Dylan McDermott and Dermot Mulroney is so famous, it’s even been joked about on *Saturday Night Live*. More recently, Glen Powell and Justin Hartley from *This is Us* are often mistaken for each other. It turns out this kind of thing happens surprisingly often.

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2025-10-14 15:08