Knightley dazzles premiere crowds

Keira Knightley has revealed that she intimidated her co-stars with the amount of swotting up she did to play Anna Karenina.

The 27-year-old actress dazzled crowds at the world premiere of the film in London's Leicester Square, wearing a Chanel gown on an opulent red carpet hung with chandeliers.

Keira plays the protagonist in Tom Stoppard's new adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic Russian love story, directed by Joe Wright and co-starring Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

She revealed during filming her copy of the novel became filled with Post-it notes.

Keira said: "I'm very into stationary. I think I frightened all the boys because I'd done so much homework. Or rather they could at least see the homework I'd done because I go for colourful Post-it notes. It terrified them."

Jude plays Anna's husband Karenin in the film, while Aaron is Vronsky, her lover.

Aaron admitted he felt nervous even at his initial screen test with Keira but she put him at ease.

He revealed: "It was at Joe's studio and we did a reading together, I was kind of nervous.

"But she's a really sweet girl and I got along with her straight away, so that helped. We had a laugh and a chat, it was cool."

Jude, 39, was made to look old, ugly and balding to play Anna's sombre husband. He revealed: "I didn't look quite the same as I do on set, off set, but my haircut didn't go down very well with my children. I think that's why I wore a hat for the best part of three months."