Begin Again director apologises to leading lady Keira Knightley

Moviemaker John Carney has apologised for the “petty, mean and hurtful things” he said about his Begin Again leading lady Keira Knightley in a recent interview.
The director made it clear he was not a fan of the Oscar nominee, who portrayed a promising singer-songwriter in the 2013 film alongside Mark Ruffalo and Adam Levine, stating he found it very difficult to work with the Brit and her entourage, which was always on set.
“Keira’s thing is to hide who you are and I don’t think you can be an actor and do that,” Carney told Britain’s The Independent newspaper. “So it’s not like I hate the Hollywood thing, but I like to work with curious, proper film actors as opposed to movie stars.
“I don’t want to rubbish Keira, but you know it’s hard being a film actor and it requires a certain level of honesty and self-analysis that I don’t think she’s ready for yet and I certainly don’t think she was ready for on that film… I learned that I’ll never make a film with supermodels again.”
Carney’s comments prompted an outpouring of support for Knightley from filmmaker friends, and now Carney has taken to Twitter to apologise to the actress.
“From a director who feels like a complete idiot,” Carney began his lengthy statement, adding, “I said a number of things about Keira which were petty, mean and hurtful. I’m ashamed of myself that I could say such things and I’ve been trying to account for what they say about me.
“In trying to pick holes in my own work, I ended up blaming someone else. That’s not only bad directing, that’s shoddy behavior.
“Keira was nothing but professional and dedicated during that film and she contributed hugely to its success.”
The filmmaker goes on to explain he has written a personal apology to the actress, but felt the need to “unreservedly apologise” to her fans and friends.
Keira has not responded publicly to the director’s interview comments.