The 27-year-old actress said that her time away from movies helped her train herself to cope with her crippling nerves on film sets, reported Femalefirst online.
"I discovered that a lot of what I was suffering from on film sets was stage fright. It's easier for me now, and even if I do freeze, I know how to deal with it," Knightley said.
The Oscar-nominated actress will next be seen in the film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novel "Anna Karenina" alongside Jude Law and Aaron Johnson.
Knightley said that she loved getting to grips with the complex character for the film.
"She's a wonderful character, but very strange and complex. She is needy and manipulative and then there are sides of her that are vulnerable and innocent, and I sometimes think it's the innocence that pulls her down.
"She will not see reality and when she does, it destroys her. I found her a challenging person. I wanted to shake her and tell her to pull herself together," she added.
