Gwyneth and Keira too 'nasal' and unlovable for Austen, expert claims 

Keira Knightley in the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice 
Keira Knightley in the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice  Credit:  Film Stills

Gwyneth Paltrow and Keira Knightley should never have been allowed to do Jane Austen adaptations because they are too "nasal" and not loveable enough, an expert on the author has claimed. 

Knightley was "completely wrong" for the part of Elizabeth Bennet in the 2005 film of Pride and Prejudice and Paltow's annoying "nasal whine" ruined her portrayal of Emma in 1996, Paula Byrne said at the Hay Festival.

Byrne, who was at the festival to talk about her latest book The Genius of Jane Austen: her love of theatre and why she is a hit in Hollywood, praised some of the male stars of Austen adaptations over the ages - including Sir Laurence Olivier and Colin Firth, who have both played Mr Darcy in versions of Pride and Prejudice. However, she panned recent portrayals of the heroines.

Gwyneth Paltrow in the 1996 film adaptation of Austen's Emma 
Gwyneth Paltrow in the 1996 film adaptation of Austen's Emma  Credit: Film Stills

"I didn't like Keira Knightley at all. I thought she was completely wrong for Elizabeth Bennet. She has a great back, a beautiful back, and all we can see is her back. I found her quite wooden and she doesn't articulate very well," she said. 

"And she is way too beautiful for Elizabeth because the one thing we know about Elizabeth is that her sister is very beautiful but Elizabeth just has 'fine eyes' and that's all we know about Elizabeth, that she has fine eyes.

"Elizabeth Bennet is a very interesting character for her vivacity. She is a very unusual character for the 18th century. But she is not beautiful.

Paula Byrne at the Hay Festival
Paula Byrne at the Hay Festival Credit:  Jay Williams

"Jane Austen made it clear she was not writing heroines who were drop dead beautiful, she was writing about a new kind of heroine.

"Keira Knightley was not just right for the role.

"Then there's Gwyneth Paltrow in Emma - that voice, that nasal whine! It just drives me mad! It's like Keira Knightley - she's got that nasal thing going on too. I want to just strangle her.

"You don't really want to feel like strangling Emma - you get annoyed with her, the character, because she's such a horrible snob and gets things wrong. But we find her loveable as well and Gwyneth Paltrow was not loveable enough for me."

License this content