Keira Knightley recalls Donald Sutherland wearing gas mask to party: 'Unbelievably intimidated'

Keira Knightley is remembering her time with Donald Sutherland.

The "Pride & Prejudice" actress recalled acting opposite Sutherland in the 2005 movie adaptation of Jane Austen's novel, in which the late actor played Mr. Bennet, father to her Elizabeth "Lizzy" Bennet.

Sutherland died last week at age 88, his son, Kiefer Sutherland, announced Thursday.

Knightley and several other co-stars of Donald Sutherland paid tribute to the actor for a feature in The Guardian, published Monday. Knightley, 39, called the "M*A*S*H" actor "terrifying and impish and generous."

"I remember feeling unbelievably intimidated by his size and reputation when I first met him," Knightley wrote. "He had this clause in his contract that no one was allowed to smoke anywhere near him. Most of the rest of the cast were in their late teens and early 20s, all chugging away."

Knightley said the young stars wore perfume to cover up the smell, to no avail.

"At some point during filming, he came to a party we all had in a gas mask so we could all smoke," she added. "I will always remember him standing in the middle of that party in a gas mask."

Other figures who shared their tributes and memories of "The Hunger Games" actor include "Ad Astra" director James Gray; "M*A*S*H," "Little Murders" and "SPYS" co-star Elliot Gould; "Land of the Blind" co-star Ralph Fiennes; and "The Eagle" director Kevin Macdonald.

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"Hunger Games" director Francis Lawrence noted Sutherland would "get sick with nerves before the first day's shoot — even after making 120 films."

Gould gave a long, heartfelt tribute, writing Sutherland "was a true human being — and not all of us are."

He continued: "He could identify with any of us. His presence and his nature, his life and his mind are an asset for everyone. We all come and go physically, but as a being, he was really special and unique."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Keira Knightley remembers Donald Sutherland wearing gas mask to party