Lo (Keira Knightley) gets caught in a maelstrom of secrets in "The Woman in Cabin 10."

Keira Knightley has a confession to make: She never read “The Woman in Cabin 10.”

The sharp-witted actress stars in the nail-biting Netflix thriller (streaming Oct. 10) adapted from Ruth Ware’s 2016 novel. But when director Simon Stone approached Knightley about the project, he advised her that it was “very different” from the source material and that she should stick to the script.

“I was like, ‘Absolutely fine,’ ” says Knightley, 40, who acknowledges she has never been much of a bookworm. “I'm dyslexic, so I really have to concentrate and not be tired if I'm reading. Whereas my husband (James Righton) is one of those people who just inhales books; he always has them on the go. I listen to a lot of books, but I don't read them.”

Keira Knightley didn't do most of her 'Cabin 10' stunts ‒ and she's OK with that

In the movie, Knightley plays a seasoned journalist named Lo Blacklock who seeks to distract herself after a traumatizing assignment by covering a charity cruise aboard a colossal luxury yacht belonging to a billionaire (Guy Pearce). Shortly after the voyage begins, Lo witnesses a woman tossed overboard and tries to get help, only to be told by the crew that everyone is accounted for.

“She’s telling her truth, and every single person is saying that she’s either lying or insane,” Knightley says. “That’s a total nightmare because it makes you question everything, but she just sticks to her guns.”

Despite its weighty themes of gaslighting and trauma, the twisty “Cabin 10” offers plenty of B-movie thrills. In one sequence, Lo is pushed into a pool and trapped underwater, which felt pretty “old hat” after making four “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, Knightley jokes. She also got to kick and punch bad guys, although the Brit credits her stunt double, Jessica Hooker, for the more hard-hitting fight scenes.

“Simon was like, ‘You’re here for the face and she’s here for the stunts,’ ” Knightley says with a laugh. “So Jess did most of that, and I just came in and did a lot of screaming.”

Ultimately, she hopes it’s the kind of movie people watch “after a hard day at work and you just make yourself a drink.”

“Before I started (filming), a friend of mine read the book and was like, ‘I lay by the pool with a piña colada and it was the perfect summer holiday read,’ ” Knightley says. “I thought, ‘Ooh, that’s what we’re trying to do with this film – just make a really fun thriller.’ ”

Keira Knightley looks back on her career, 'toxic' environment for young women

Knightley has worked continuously for more than three decades in TV and film, earning Oscar nominations for “Pride & Prejudice” and “The Imitation Game.” She has juggled period dramas (“Atonement”) with sci-fi romances (“Never Let Me Go”) and found success last year with Netflix’s spy series “Black Doves.” During a recent conversation, she was preparing to spend the weekend studying up for Season 2.

“There’s a lot of line-learning going on and kids’ parties, so I’m being taxi driver,” says Knightley, who shares two daughters with Righton: Edie, 10, and Delilah, 6.

The actress says she was “quite ballsy” as she was starting out in Hollywood. She remembers being 18 and auditioning for “The Jacket” director John Maybury, who “didn’t want to give me the role. I was basically like: ‘Look, I know you think I can’t act. But if I read this and you think I can, then you have to give me the part right here and now before I leave the room.’ ” Sure enough, “he was like, ‘OK, Keira, I’ll see you on set in a couple months.’ ”

In 2016, Knightley made headlines after “Begin Again” director John Carney criticized her acting. Given their differences, we hesitate to tell her that the comedy is one of our go-to comfort movies.

“You don’t need to feel bad!” Knightley says. “Do you know what? Sometimes we have difficult times at work, and that’s OK. The whole point is to make a thing that other people are going to enjoy.”

She has frequently spoken out about the toll paparazzi and stalkers took on her mental health. Although she’s “not really online," she feels encouraged that young actresses are able to advocate more for themselves now.

“I suspect there are still areas where it’s pretty toxic for women, but within the new media landscape, at least women can have a voice,” she says. “Whereas when I was in my late teens and early 20s, you didn’t have a voice; you were just this image that could be manipulated in whichever way.” But thanks in part to social media, “you can actually put your point of view across, which is very good.”

As her kids have gotten older, Knightley has enjoyed getting to go back and show them some of her films – or at least try to, anyway.

“My oldest has seen ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ because she plays soccer, so she really likes that,” Knightley says. But for the most part, “they don’t want to, and I completely understand that. I think they find it really weird. They both watched my version of ‘The Nutcracker’ and were like, ‘What are you doing in the telly? Why are you yelling at that poor girl?’

“My little one thinks everything on the telly is real, so she still just doesn’t quite get it. And my older one is like, ‘It’s just weird seeing you pretend to be other people’ (laughs). So they’re not interested at the moment!”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Keira Knightley recalls 'ballsy' Hollywood start, says it's less toxic for women now

Reporting by Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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