Keira Knightley on EU referendum: 'It only takes five seconds to mark X'

Keira Knightley has recorded a 30-second video to urge younger voters to participate in the EU referendum.

The actor worked with the pro-EU group We Are Europe, who have recorded similar videos with the actor and model Lily Cole and musicians Eliza Doolittle and Big Narstie.

“It only takes five seconds to practice the perfect awards face,” Knightley says on camera. “And it takes five seconds to mark an X in a ballot box. Five seconds to stop others fucking with your future.”

The video is neutral, but Knightley has previously added her name to a list of celebrities backing the campaign for Britain to stay in the European Union. Last month, many arts figures, including Chiwetel Ejiofor and Benedict Cumberbatch signed a letter to support the remain campaign.

“From the smallest gallery to the biggest blockbuster, many of us have worked on projects that would never have happened without vital EU funding, or by collaborating across borders,” it read. “Britain is not just stronger in Europe, it is more imaginative and more creative, and our global creative success would be severely weakened by walking away.”

The poll on 13 June indicates that 53% support a Brexit, while 47% would like to remain in the EU.