With her amazing performances in films such as The King’s Speech, Alice In Wonderland and Corpse Bride, it’s hard to believe that BAFTA award winning actress Helena Bonham Carter had no formal acting training. Her ability to wow viewers with her charismatic performances and broad range of films make her roles truly memorable and one of the greatest actors of our time. To celebrate the release of the heart-warming adventure The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet on DVD and digital download 6th October, we take a moment to recognise Helena’s impressive and expanded range of roles from Corpse Bride to her beautiful performance as caring mother ‘Dr. Clair’ in The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Directed by Tim Burton, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the second film adaptation of the 1964 British book of the same name by Roald Dahl and stars Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka and Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket. Helena plays Charlie’s loving Mum Mrs. Bucket who lives with her son, husband and four bedridden grandparents. The storyline concerns Charlie, who takes a tour he has won, led by Wonka, through the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was released to critical praise and was a box office success, grossing approximately $475 million worldwide. Helena gave a realistic and solid performance proving once again that she’s at the top of her league.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Helena Bonham Carter played Bellatrix Lestrange in the final four Harry Potter films (2007-2011). She was the epitome of this frightening and charismatic character. Helena received positive reviews as Lestrange, and was described as a shining but underused talent.
Alice In Wonderland (2010)
Helena joined the cast of Tim Burton’s 2010 film, Alice in Wonderland as The Red Queen appearing alongside Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, and Crispin Glover. Helena perfectly played the Red Queen whose character is an amalgamation of two Carroll characters i.e. the Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts. The character hates animals, choosing to use them as servants and furniture. Helena took inspiration from her young daughter Nell, a toddler, stating that, “The Red Queen is just like a toddler, because she’s got a big head and she’s a tyrant.”
The King’s Speech (2010)
The King’s Speech is a 2010 British historical drama film which sees Colin Firth playing King George VI who, to cope with a stammer, sees Lionel Logue, an Australian speech and language therapist played by Geoffrey Rush. The men become friends as they work together, and after his brother abdicates the throne, the new King relies on Logue to help him make his first wartime radio broadcast on Britain’s declaration of war on Germany in 1939. Helena gave an astounding performance as the King’s wife Queen Elizabeth and this role earned her a BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actress.
The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet (2014)
From the talented director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelié) comes a fun filled adventure of one boy’s determination to pursue a career in science. Helena Bonham Carter does it again and realistically portrays T.S. Spivet’s caring mother ‘Dr. Clair’, a woman who is obsessed with the morphology of beetles. T.S. Spivet is a gifted child with a passion for science, and he has invented a perpetual motion machine for which he has been awarded the prestigious Baird Prize by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. He leaves a note for his family and hops on a freight train to make his way across the United States and receive his prize, but no one there suspects that the lucky winner is a ten-year-old child with a very dark secret. Helena delivers a brilliant performance and proves once again that she is one of the greatest actors of our time.
The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet is out on DVD and download 6th October 2014, courtesy of Entertainment One
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