Knightley's first starring role was in 2001, when she played the daughter of Robin Hood in the made-for-television Walt Disney Productions feature "Princess of Thieves".
Njen lik je v filmu skrival, da je njena spletična Padmé (zaigrala jo je Natalie Portman) v resnici kraljica Amidala, kar pa razkrije na koncu filma.