During the filming of The Phantom Menace, Natalie Portman and Keira Knightley looked so alike in their Queen Amidala makeup that even their own mothers couldn’t tell them apart.
Yeah, that actually happened.
The Perfect Match
Knightley was only 12 years old during the filming of The Phantom Menace. Natalie Portman played Padmé Amidala, the Queen of Naboo, while Keira Knightley was cast as Sabé, her decoy and handmaiden.
Sabé’s entire purpose was to convince others she was the queen in dangerous situations, so finding someone who could pass as Padmé was crucial. Knightley’s striking resemblance to Portman made her an obvious choice.
The resemblance was so uncanny that even their own mothers struggled to tell them apart while they were in costume.
Knightley shared in an interview with The Telegraph, “Our mums actually confused us on set.” Even years later, this confusion hasn’t gone away. Portman admitted in an interview with Vanity Fair that she’s often mistaken for Knightley, describing it as “All the time, all the time. Keira Knightley. Very flattering.”
Even when I watch the movie, it’s hard to tell them apart because of the elaborate makeup. I always end up paying extra attention whenever Sabé (Keira) and Padmé (Natalie) share the same scene.
From what I’ve learned, anytime the queen is wearing the black dress with the feathered headdress or the red-and-black battle outfit, it’s actually Sabé (Keira).
Keira Knightley Couldn’t Remember Playing Sabé in The Phantom Menace
Keira Knightley was only 12 years old when she filmed The Phantom Menace, so it’s no surprise that her role as Sabé wasn’t exactly burned into her memory.
In a 2020 interview with ComingSoon, she was asked about her time in Star Wars and casually admitted she couldn’t even remember who she played.
“Wait a minute… who did I play? Was I not Padmé?” Knightley asked with visible confusion.
When the interviewer clarified that she had played Sabé, Queen Amidala’s trusted handmaiden and decoy, Knightley laughed and shared a surprising revelation: “Do you know, I saw the film once when… I think I was 12 when I did it, and I saw it the year after, and I’ve never seen it again. OK, so I was Sabé, and I didn’t die.”
Knightley’s forgetfulness makes sense, though. It was a small role compared to the massive career she went on to build with movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and Atonement.
But honestly, the fact that she forgot just adds to the charm of her connection to the Star Wars universe. It’s like a fun little trivia nugget in her long list of accomplishments.