Theres a reason why you often see actress Keira Knightley portraying characters in period dramas.

The Atonement and Pride and Prejudice actress recently told Variety she really doesnt like the way contemporary women are portrayed in movies.

I dont really do films set in the modern day because the female characters nearly always get raped, she said. I always find something distasteful in the way women are portrayed, whereas Ive always found very inspiring characters offered to me in historical pieces.

Knightley says shes noticed some strong female characters and female stories on streaming services and is optimistic that theyll help shape future female characters in film as well.

Theres been some improvement. Im suddenly being sent scripts with present-day women who arent raped in the first five pages and arent simply there to be the loving girlfriend or wife.

Knightley also offered a pretty valid remedy for the problem:

When there are female writers and directors and producers, the parts for women are better, and so the way that society views women through drama is much better and much more well-rounded.