Keira Knightley fears that the debate triggered by Harvey Weinstein’s alleged sexual bullying has segued into a hatred of men.

The British actress, when asked if she worried that the debate was misandrist, responded “absolutely”, adding that men should be involved in conversations about future behaviour between the sexes.

Knightley, 33, who worked with Mr Weinstein before his downfall last year, said she had not been a victim of, or witness to, any of his alleged assaults, adding that the Hollywood film producer should be given credit for “getting independent cinema an audience”.

When asked about the subsequent debate being misandrist, she told The Guardian: “There’s a time [women] should be standing up and howling and making as much noise as possible, saying, ‘Hey,