Keira Knightley is facing criticism after sharing a story about the late Donald Sutherland that many people on social media felt was in poor taste.
The actress looked back at a memory from a film set, but the story quickly sparked massive buzz online.
During an interview with Rosamund Pike, Knightley talked about a party that Sutherland attended while they were working together.
She explained that the veteran actor had a rule in his contract saying nobody on set could smoke around him or even smell of cigarettes.
“There was a party that Donald Sutherland came to because the whole thing was that you weren’t allowed to smoke,” Knightley said.
Rosamund Pike replied, “Oh, yes!”
Knightley then said, “He had it in his contract that nobody on the set was allowed to smoke anywhere near him, and you couldn’t smell of smoke. But of course, everyone smoked.”
She added, “Back then anyway, everyone smoked. We’d all run off to smoke, then spray ourselves with everything to cover the smell.”
Knightley also remembered Sutherland arriving at the party wearing a gas mask.
“But at the party he came to, he walked right into the middle of it wearing a gas mask!”
The story, however, quickly spread all over the social media, where many people criticised the actress.
Some said the memory was not funny because Sutherland later lived with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease whereas others pointed out that cigarette smoke and even its smell can affect people with asthma and other breathing problems.
Some users also questioned Knightley’s tone while telling the story, saying they expected more understanding about the health risks linked to smoking.
2026-07-27 17:53:00
