Keira's monster role

Keira Knightley is winning plaudits as Elizabeth Swann, the governor's daughter in the swashbuckling epic Pirates Of The Caribbean. Before that she had a hard act to follow, playing the Julie Christie role of Lara in the TV remake of Doctor Zhivago, and was every schoolboy's dream as footballmad tomboy Juliette in Bend It Like Beckham.

Now she is on the brink of signing for a role that will see her break into the Hollywood superleague.

The 18-year-old from Teddington is being sought by Hollywood's most powerful man, Steven Spielberg, to take on a "substantial" part in the fourth and final Jurassic Park blockbuster.

Knightley said: "It was so amazing because I've been a big fan of the original film for years. Steven said he liked my work in Bend It Like Beckham and wanted to meet me.

"I think [Jurassic Park star] Sam Neill really pushed for me as well, because we had worked together before on Doctor Zhivago."

The actress said: "There were actually two roles in Jurassic Park IV that Steven thought I might fit. First there was the granddaughter part ... the other was substantially larger but I won't go into any details in case I make Steven angry."

Knightley has also signed up with Spielberg's company Dreamworks for Tulip Fever alongside Jude Law.

"To be even considered by Steven Spielberg was a humbling honour," she told Box-Office magazine. The actress is a current favourite of director Jerry Bruckheimer, known as the king of the blockbusters, who spotted her in Bend It Like Beckham and immediately cast her in Pirates Of The Caribbean.

She will also play Queen Guinevere in his big-budget version of King Arthur, which starts filming in Ireland next month. But a substantial part in Jurassic Park IV would put Knightley in Hollywood's earning big league.

The 2001 Jurassic Park movie cost some £62 million to make and took £3.5 million in its opening weekend in the US.

The sequel - which is due for release in 2005 - centres around a disease, known as DX, plaguing the dinosaur population. Scientists discover the illness is transferable to humans and could bring about our extinction.

Miss Knightley had an agent at the age of six and landed her first professional role at seven through a friend of her parents.

Her credits include the 1994 film A Village Affair and Innocent Lies in 1995.

At the age of 12 she appeared in the TV film Coming Home alongside Peter O'Toole and Joanna Lumley.

Two years later she landed a small part in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace as Sabe, Natalie Portman's decoy queen.

She also appeared as Rose Fleming, Oliver's young aunt, in a TV adaptation of Oliver Twist three years ago.

At just 16, she tackled raunchy scenes in her role as Lara in ITV's steamy adaptation of Dr Zhivago - a role rejected by singer Andrea Corr because of the nudity.