Helena Bonham Carter!! It’s such a pleasure seeing her cover a major magazine, I’m not even going to complain that much about her Croydon facelift. Can you believe this fabulous woman is 47 years old? “Ageless” indeed. At first I thought HBC was covering Vogue UK’s July issue just for the hell of it, because she’s fabulous, but she has a real reason – she has a part in The Lone Ranger. I completely forgot about that. She plays a madam at an Old West brothel. Amazing.
Helena Bonham Carter has quipped she’s “always wanted to be a whore”. The actress chooses roles in films based on what she will learn from playing the character.
Helena jested that when she played a one-legged brothel madame in The Lone Ranger, she discovered how to be many new exciting types of people.
“Oh lots!” Helena exclaimed to British Vogue about her part. “I learned how to be a southern belle, which I’ve always rather wanted to be. And how to be a whore, which I’ve also rather always wanted to be. And I learnt how to fire a double-barrelled shotgun from a prosthetic leg. It’s frighteningly empowering firing a gun, you know? I’m afraid I learnt that too…”
Helena is currently preparing for her role as Dame Elizabeth Taylor in an upcoming BBC film. She has immersed herself in material to get to grips with the iconic screen legend.
“The research is what I get off on,” Helena explained. “My mom is a psychologist and I’m very similar to her. I love the challenge of working a character out. Ultimately, I don’t agree to do a film because I think it’s going to be a success. I do it because I think I’m going to learn something from the character I’m playing. I’m not sure what yet, but I know I am going to learn something from Elizabeth. I know that, somehow, I’m going to grow as a soul from playing her.”
Helena has two children, Billy and Nell, with her partner Tim Burton. The 46-year-old says since having her babies, acting has mattered less to her. The irony that her work has got better since giving birth is not lost on her.
“It’s not my sole purpose so there’s less pressure on it,” she reflected. “Which, of course, means I do it better. But I also find it’s less important to me now whether I’m crap or good. I take myself so much less seriously than I used to. I used to be so self-critical, it was painful. Now I think, ‘OK, so I acted badly today. I’ll try and act better tomorrow.’ I mean, for God’s sake, it’s not like I’m a surgeon or anything. It doesn’t really matter, does it?”
[From Vogue UK via Film News]
Did you involuntarily gasp when you read “And how to be a whore, which I’ve also rather always wanted to be”? I understand that HBC is fabulous and she probably meant something along the lines of “I always thought it would be fun to play an old-timey prostitute in a movie”. Hopefully. Hopefully she’s not glorifying sex workers and sort of saying “It must be so much fun to be a hooker!” But I agree with HBC when she’s putting down her profession – seriously, it’s NOT like she’s a surgeon. She’s just a weirdly fabulous person who happens to be a very talented actress. And I can’t wait to see HBC’s version of Elizabeth Taylor. It will be amazing.
Photos courtesy The Fashion Spot.
Vogue UK’s cover girls are so much more interesting! Not the US’ usual rotation of Gwynnie/Carrie/Blake.
I’ve always found Vogue UK to be more interesting in general. The styling makes the pics seem more photographically authentic as opposed to merely photoshopped. Same with Vogue Italia.
US celebrity culture is somewhat one-dimensional and really only relevant within the gossip-sphere. Honestly, I could give a flying fart about Beyonce or any of the other overly hyped US celebrities. But that’s just my two cents.
I’ve always found the UK Vogue to be more fashion-y. The US version just comes across as a mix of upmarket tabloid and Tatler, with advertisements thrown in. Paris Vogue is a bit pretentious.
I stopped reading US Vogue a long time ago. It’s so BLAH. I do love UK Vogue when I can get my hands on one…it’s a bit expensive to buy here in the States!
Just google the editor of the UK Vogue (Alexandra Shulman) and compare with Anna Wintor and you will understand why the British Vogue is more interesting & diverse.
Elizabeth Taylor eh?
has she gotten permission from La Lohan for that one?
but seriously, i know that most people i know equates her with “crazy” Burton-Depp type roles, but she’s really a great actress with a lot of range. what surprised me (pleasantly), once you get over the first glimpse of samey-ness, you can see nuances underneath each character that sets them apart from one another.
i’ve always liked playing “spot the difference” games from a young age, and i’ve enjoyed it with HBC. it’s always a pleasant surprise with every revisiting of her characters, finding things/details i’ve never noticed before.
ugh, i sound like a total Twihard, (Helenard?) but it’s true!!!
Yes, yes, yes! She is fab in every way you can imagine.
Funny thing is though that those of us who first knew her through her merchant-ivory-type classy English lady roles (Room with a View, Howard’s End, etc.) couldn’t help but just adore her when she transitioned to her quirkier roles. It’s still so great to see her in roles like the King’s Speech one day and Belatrix Lestrange the next.
She always plays the most interesting/odd characters so well. She is very talented and underrated. I know she must have had some work fone but she looks fabulous
She’s still the best, and I think she should get to play a modern day hooker, even tho I know she’d still somehow end up in a whimsical, petticoated nightmare.
I find her endlessly fabulous! She’s beautiful, quirky, a brilliant actress – even more so when she’s playing straight roles than her standard Burton/Depp/big hair role that she whips out for all his films! She was fantastic in The Kings Speech as the Queen Mother.
Her character and her husband’s in Les Mis were fabulous. She’s awesome. And interesting…take that boring cookie-cut Hollywood actresses!
I think that line about wanting to be a whore is just HBC’s very open and non-judgemental approach to life. It’s nothing to do with romanticising it, just her thinking it might be an interesting experience. And why not.
Beautiful shoot. She’s a diamond, beautiful in every sense that counts, forever marching to her own lovely and quirky beat, and I think she’ll make a superb Liz Taylor.
Fabulous woman! And finally Liz Taylor will have someone worthy portraying her and doing her beauty and talent justice. Just love Helena!
God I love her – remember her in The Fight Club? Big Fish? Amazing actress, lady and a true eccentric 🙂
She was SO feaking good in Fight Club! Her best role to date IMO. And my favorite movie of all time too 🙂
And yes, she truly is ageless.
I thought she nearly stole the show in Fight Club! She was fantastic.
She can do no wrong in my eyes, a very talented woman.
I like her quote about learning something from the character and adding to her soul.
LOVE it!
I like her, have for years, but I’d be hard-pressed to explain why to a basic Joe.
Wow—she looks absolutely gorgeous. That second pic of her with the veil! If she’s had a facelift, everyone else should get the name of her doctor, because it’s very, very subtle. It looks to me as if she just has had an emphasis on cheekbones, either by surgery or Photoshop. It doesn’t matter to me at all, I think she’s fabulous.
Even though I wouldn’t have thought of her to play Elizabeth Taylor, I love the idea & can’t wait to see it.
I was gonna say the same thing about her face ‘work.’ NO WAY would I have thought she’s nearing 50, and yet she looks very natural!
Great versatile actress. Loved her since she played Lucy Honeychurch in Room With a View. She is so beautiful sometimes I wish she didn’t dress such a fright on the red carpet but I guess that is part of the quirkiness we all like. Her cover face reminds me of Winona here.
She’s one of the best actresses ever. I love her so much!
Sigh.
Oh how I wish she’d do the glam thing on red carpets more. I guess she’d stop being HBC at that point, but I love seeing her pull off the polished look after all that ridiculous wild hair.
HBC is a great actress!
I’d love to see her play a prostitute in a serious role. I bet she could pull it off. I could see her as a callous madame or dominatrix, or even a divorced soccer mom who starts turning tricks to put food on the table.
Just please, no Johnny Derp as yet another iteration of Capt. Jack Sparrow. Can’t stand that guy.
I love her, she’s a good actress and is simply who and what she is. She dresses as she pleases, does her job and raises her family.
She allows you to like it or leave it and keeps her mouth shut about everyone else and their lives.
She impresses me and someone you could just hang with in comfort.
She looks beautiful! I first watched her in that movie Lady Jane with Carey Elwes. God he was gorgeous.
LOL I can’t wait to compare Lilo’s ELisabeth Taylor and Helen’s. Just LOL.
I love her. I love her face. I love her attitude. Just love.
Been a long time fan since Lady Jane Grey in 1986; I was like 9 yrs old. Amazing photos of HBC. Just too bad that …Is it photoshopped or is it a face thingy? Something slightly off… Wish she was featured in beauty and fashion mags. I took her ‘to play a hooker’ line as exactly as it was said literally… To play a role, not a glamourization of the trade etc.
Hollywood needs to cast Helena and Winona in a movie.
omg YES!!!
Marla Singer’s a bad bitch.
that is all.
The level of Photoshop here is a bit over the top, particularly given that she is very lovely in real life, and hardly in need of it. It makes it difficult to take “ageless” issue seriously.
I love her quirkiness. It’s part of her charm. Always enjoy watching her acting in the movie too. Wish someone would cast Tilda Swinton and her in a movie. It would be totally awesome to watch.
I heart her so effing much. I have loved her since I was like 12 and she did a spread for Seventeen. Does anyo0ne know if she and Tim Burton still have that fabulous living arrangement?
I adore HBC so much! Her role as Marla Singer in Fight Club is my favorite. She always has something interesting to say and plays the oddest characters. She’s a triple threat as well…a talented actress and singer and she’s gorgeous. I like people who are a bit unpredictable like she is. I think some other, much younger actresses could learn a thing or two from her.
She’s beautiful on that cover! I love, love, love her!
Looooove that face! Her eyes and bone structure are so beautiful! I find it so admirable that she hasn’t spent her career trying to be a bombshell, but rather focused on character parts. She has/had the beauty to go either route.
I’ve always thought she is absolutely gorgeous and talented, and I love that she’s so quirky. Bet she’d be fun to hang with.
I’m relatively new to this site, and unabashedly admit to coming on mostly to rant and bitch, because, in general, I detest celebrities, most of the entertainment industry and everything they represent.
In this case, I have no rant or bitching. Helena is one actress I adore. She’s bloody wonderful.