Knightley scared of nasty role

Keira Knightley was terrified when she was offered the role of Cecilia in the big screen adaptation of Ian McEwan's bestseller Atonement - because she thinks the character may turn the public against her.

The Oscar-nominated actress, 21, is set to star opposite Narnia star James McAvoy in the movie, which is helmed by Knightley's Pride and Prejudice director Joe Wright.

Knightley says: "She's a bitch. She starts out very catty, acerbic, almost Bette Davis-esque - very sharp. But she grows into something quite different. It's a nice journey.

"We did one scene and Joe and I looked at each other and I said: 'Oh my God, people are going to hate me,' but she won't be like that the whole way through."