Keira Knightley to Appear in Shocking PSA

Keira Knightley has once again joined forces with Joe Wright, who directed her in Atonement and Pride & Prejudice. This new project, however, will not feature her in a period drama about love. Instead, Knightley will showcase her acting chops in a shocking new public service announcement about domestic violence.

According to MSNBC, Knightley will appear in a two-minute short film, in which she gets physically abused by her boyfriend. After he first hits her, Knightley breaks character and looks at the camera saying, "Sorry, we didn't agree to that," referring to the sudden strike he made to her face.

After she says that line, he continues to abuse her, causing the violence to ensue and escalate. Knightley is thrown to the floor where she is repeatedly kicked. As viewers watch her get beaten, the words, "Domestic violence – isn't it time someone called cut" appear on the screen.

"I wanted to take part in this advert for Women's Aid because while domestic violence exists in every section of society we rarely hear about it," Knightley said in a statement. "We may not think we know someone who has experienced domestic violence, but this does not mean that it is not happening."

The PSA will debut in the United Kingdom on April 6.