Keira Knightley is a “Succession” fan, and her loyalties lie with one man: Tom Wambsgans. Tom is portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen, who won the Emmy for the role last fall. Knightley and Macfadyen have appeared on screen together three times but perhaps most iconically starred in 2005’s “Pride & Prejudice,” in which Knightley played Elizabeth and Macfadyen was Mr. Darcy. And when speaking to POPSUGAR about her new movie “Boston Strangler,” Knightley can’t help but praise her former costar.
“I’ve been unbelievably lucky to work with Matthew three times,” she says; the pair also teamed up for 2012’s “Anna Karenina” and 2018’s “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.” She explains, “He is such a joy. He is so funny. His performance in ‘Succession’ — I’m going to use a big word here — it’s genius.” Knightley’s “Boston Strangler” costar Carrie Coon, also a “Succession” fan, adds, “He’s extraordinary.”
“Extraordinary,” Knightley repeats. “He’s so funny. I’m so unbelievably happy for him. He is one of the nicest men in the world and what a talent,” she says. “I’m always reaching for him. If I, when whatever I see him in, I’m reaching for him. He’s wonderful.”
Does Knightley think Tom will ultimately win the game of “Succession” in the final season and take over the company? She’s bullish on making a big prediction but adds with a laugh, “You know, something’s gonna happen.”
In “Boston Strangler,” Knightley and Coon play real reporters Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole, respectively, who broke the story of the Boston Strangler murders in the 1960s. Ultimately, 15 women were murdered, and McLaughlin and Cole had to fight sexism to make people care about the victims — and to even get the chance to report the story at all.
“I’d never heard of these journalists, and what they did was extraordinary,” Knightley says. “Their careers were extraordinary. The fact that they were doing it when they had children at home, and they still managed to be extraordinary career women, extraordinary journalists, and great mothers is an amazing thing. So I think that’s why I felt like it was so important to highlight this.”
Both want to find more chances to tell undershared stories of impactful women but admit it’s difficult. “Unfortunately, it’s very hard to uncover those stories,” Coon says. “The ones we know about are the ones that have been told. And so it’s hard to even know where to begin to look to find those women because they’re so underexplored.” “I’m always on the lookout for books,” she adds.
Both Knightley and Coon are no strangers to period dramas. Coon currently stars on HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” set in the 1880s, and she previously appeared in another newspaper drama, “The Post,” set in 1971. Knightley’s many period dramas, meanwhile, include the Regency-set “Pride & Prejudice”; The Imitation Game,” set during World War II; and “The Duchess,” set in the 18th century. The costumes for “Boston Strangler” seem like they’d be simpler than other heavy period wardrobes, but Coon says that’s actually not true.
“You would think, except I had to wear hip pads,” Coon says. The period skirts, she said, spun around on her, so she had to add silicon pieces to keep them in place. “In ‘The Gilded Age,’ the hip pads are built into the corset. You don’t have to worry about that.”
Watch the video above for more from Knightley and Coon. “Boston Strangler” streams on Hulu on March 17.