Keira Knightley doesn't like 'negativity' around period dramas

Actor Keira Knightley believes that people do not take period dramas seriously as they tend to focus more on women characters.

The 33-year-old actor, who has featured in period films such as "Atonement", "Pride and Prejudice", "Anna Karenina" and "The Imitation Game", said she does not like "negativity" around such movies.

"There's a negativity around [period dramas] because predominantly, they're female," the actor said at the Toronto International Film Festival.

According to BBC, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star also said she is lured back to the genre because of its strong characters.

"The strongest characters I've found have been in period roles. I also like the idea of breathing life back into what is gone. In a funny way, it's resurrecting the dead," Knightley said.

The actor is once again starring in a period drama, "Colette", based on the life of the French novelist Colette.

Knightley said she "instantly felt connected" to the author's story and that is why she said yes to the film.

"It's the story of a woman who's finding her voice and her true self and allowing herself to live courageously. I stood very tall when I played Colette. She was a maverick," the actor said.