Actress Helena Bonham Carter is famous for playing the villainous Bellatrix Lestrange in the globally popular Harry Potter film series. Based on the best-selling novels of the same name by J.K. Rowling, the film franchise is easily one of the most commercially successful ones and Carter’s performance remains a memorable part of it.
During an interview, Carter reflected on her look as Bellatrix in the movies, primarily in the fifth installment, which showcases the unhinged nature of her character. Carter confessed that while she wanted her character to have a bold look, she ultimately took things too far as a remark from her assistant completely caught her off guard. Here is what Carter had to say about her Harry Potter look.
Helena Bonham Carter Reflected on Her Bellatrix Lestrange Look in Harry Potter
Helena Bonham Carter first debuted in the role of Bellatrix Lestrange in 2007’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The actress reprised the role of Voldemort’s right-hand woman for three further installments, becoming synonymous with Bellatrix.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Carter spoke about her appearance as the character, opting for a more revealing costume. However, Carter’s friend and assistant exclaimed that her costume was perhaps a little too bold for the character.
You look like a p**n star! That was not the image I was going for.
Carter made the above statement regarding her look in the movie, adding that she came up with the idea of putting her character in a corset.
The actress further explained that she did not want to wear the original look designed by the costume designer, primarily because she felt she could easily look terrible in the costume because of her height. Moreover, Carter wanted her appearance to represent her character’s warrior and fatale aspect.
Helena Bonham Carter Regretted Her Cut Duel With Gary Oldman’s Sirius Black
During the same interview, Carter also spoke about Bellatrix’s relationship with Sirius Black, played by Gary Oldman. However, Carter admitted that one scene between her and Oldman’s character, where the cousins dueled with each other was cut from the final film.
I learned for three weeks how to wand-fight. And I was really good with all my spells!
Carter made the above statement, revealing the time and effort she spent preparing for the wand fight with Oldman’s character.
Furthermore, Carter explained that the fight choreography was extremely complicated and saw Sirius make a strategic mistake. However, the actress was disappointed by the scene not making it into the final cut, especially since she spent so much time preparing for it.
Although the film does not feature the duel between Bellatrix and Sirius, the climax sees a final confrontation between the two. Eventually, Bellatrix killed Sirius in cold blood, giving Carter some reprieve after the wand fight scene got cut from the movie.
The Harry Potter movies are streaming on Max.
