Helena Bonham Carter talks Fairy Godmother and Red Queen
In the next year or two, Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) will be hitting cinema screens in a few feature films, one of which will be next year when she’ll be portraying the Fairy Godmother in Kenneth Branagh’s (Gilderoy Lockhart) Cinderella. In a recent interview with MTV, Bonham Carter discusses what it’s like to play an all around good character for a change, considering she’s been known in the past to play the odd villain or two.
Yeah, she’s good! She has a wand, she has teeth, but they’re perfect.
It’s an icon; it’s a tricky one because a fairy godmother… everyone has an idea of a fairy godmother. And also, it’s kind of difficult to believe yourself as a fairy godmother because it’s like a myth. You try [to] reinvent it, try to really believe having the thought of turning a pumpkin [into a carriage].
But while discussing this character in particular, it leads to a seriously thought out question on her part:
Why would she choose a pumpkin to be a transport? It could have been anything! But why would it be a vegetable? You have to work out, does she only transmute vegetables, or can it be fruit? Is she going for the shape?
She also talks about another upcoming fairy tale film that she’ll be appearing in, when she reprises her role as the Red Queen in the Alice in Wonderland sequel, Through the Looking Glass. You may remember that this character in particular had an abnormally large head. She jokes,
My head is getting even bigger, I think. I just went for my first costume fitting, and it was nice to see Colleen [Atwood]; it’ll be nice to see everybody.
The last film was of course directed by her partner Tim Burton, but this time he will not be returning for said position, it instead being handed over to The Muppets director James Bobin. When asked if she had any concerns because of Burton not directing, she replied,
No, none whatsoever. James Bobin seems to be really interesting and fired up and excited. Tim’s producing it, and we just felt like he’s done it. You can’t spend two years of your life doing something unless you’re one hundred percent enthusiastic about it.
Her small reprisal as Bellatrix Lestrange for the new Escape from Gringotts ride at the WWoHP in Orlando also came up in discussion, where she admitted that she had to do a fair bit of research after not having played the character for so long.
I have files and files, but that’s what I love doing. And then you have to be open to everything else and learning your lines. And then you root it in physical stuff like costume, teeth and makeup.
You’ll be able to catch Helena Bonham Carter in both Cinderella when it his cinemas in March 2015 and Through the Looking Glass in May 2016.
What do you think about the new films that the Bellatrix Lestrange actress is due to appear in? Are you excited for a certain role? Let us know in the comments below.