Standing O? Children's Hour Star Keira Knightley's Stage 'Orgasm'

Looks like Keira Knightley is getting her jollies in her return to the London stage. The Oscar-nommed actress, who is starring opposite Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss in a revival of The Children's Hour, recently told Elle magazine what it feels like to perform in front of a live audience: "It's like sex with an orgasm at the end of it." She went on to explain why she prefers theater to film work. "Film is like you have sex, but you never get the orgasm. A lot of stopping and starting."

While Knightley is enthusiastic about appearing in front of audiences, she admits she doesn't do well in social settings. "Going into a room full of people at a party I find one of the most terrifying things in the entire world," she said. "I normally last about 10 minutes. I'm a complete failure. I went to one the other day. Standing in the corner, just couldn't find anything to say, just ran out. Awful. My friends are like, 'What are you—an idiot? What's the matter with you?' I just can't. I get completely paralyzed with shyness, just totally paralyzed."

The Children's Hour opens on February 9 at the West End's Comedy Theatre. The production, which features Knightley as boarding school teacher Karen Wright, will run through April 30.