Keira Knightley has described Kenneth Branagh as one of her 'heroes'.
Knightley is back on the big screen this week in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit: which sees her team up with Branagh as both an actor and a director.
The actress was on the red carpet in London for the European Premiere last night, where she remembered when she first met Branagh.
Speaking exclusively to FemaleFirst at the premiere, the actress said: "It was amazing. He has been one of my heroes since I was tiny, I auditioned for him when I was eleven; I didn't get the part.
"I remember it so clearly; as I knew when I was there that I wasn't going to get the role. However, he was unbelievably nice to me. I remember him showing me the designs for the set and costumes and spent about an hour with me.
"I thought 'that is a lovely man', that stayed with me. He was just as lovely, however many years later."
Knightley was joined on the red carpet by Branagh, Chris Pine and producers David Barron and Lorenzo di Bonaventura.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is the first big screen outing for Knightley since Anna Karenina. However, she has a whole host of projects in the pipeline including Laggies, Can A Song Save Your Life? And The Imitation Game.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is released 24th January.
Tagged in Keira Knightley Jack Ryan