Keira Knightley - Knightley: "I Had To Be Elizabeth"

Actress KEIRA KNIGHTLEY was desperate to land the part of ELIZABETH BENNET in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, and kept campaigning after initially being refused the role.

The LOVE ACTUALLY star had been determined to play JANE AUSTEN'S fiesty character since seeing the BBC adaptation when she was just 10.

She says, "I was hooked on it.

"I had this big doll's house which was the Bennet's house and I'd spend hours playing with it. I was Elizabeth. I totally identified with her and JENNIFER EHLE (who played her in the BBC series) was my heroine."