Helena Bonham Carter is known around the world for her various roles and iconic movies but no role would be as close to the heart of the people as that of Bellatrix Lestrange. Portraying the on-screen cousin to Sirius Black in the Harry Potter franchise, Bonham Carter beautifully portrayed the role of Lestrange.
Since it was the early 2000s, the actress revealed that it felt weird at first while waving her wand. Stating that the destruction had to be imagined in the head instead of actually being able to see, Helena Bonham Carter oftentimes forgot that there was an intent to kill behind every wand move!
Helena Bonham Carter Often Forgot The Intent To Kill With Her Spells!
Helena Bonham Carter first appeared in a flashback scene back in 2005 when Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was released. The actress made a proper appearance as Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
It was the early 2000s, however, so the CGI and VFX weren’t so impressive that actors could just see what they were destroying with each wand movement. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bonham Carter talked about how she often forgot that it was serious work and she often forgot that she had to show an intention of killing when she waved her wand!
“We went to wand school for about three weeks. We took it very very seriously. I actually got a wand blister on the [middle] finger. They kind of had different names for all the different moves, Latin ones. It was sort of based on fencing. You also always have to have an intention behind the spell.”
She further continued,
“You just feel totally emasculated on set when you’re waving a bit a wood around and nothing’s coming from it. It’s very difficult to remember that you’ve actually got the intention to kill behind it. It’s not all fun and laughs; it’s actually quite hard work,”
Portraying the iconic character of Bellatrix Lestrange, the actress talked about how she wasn’t originally meant to be Voldemort’s minion. The role was actually Helen McCrory’s but she got pregnant in 2007 and Bonham Carter was cast.
Helen McCrory Was Supposed To Play Bellatrix Lestrange!
Helen McCrory is known around the world for portraying the role of Polly Gray (or Aunt Polly) in the BBC drama series Peaky Blinders. The actress was also supposed to portray the role of Bellatrix Lestrange until she got pregnant in 2007 and had to drop out of the project.
“So they came to me. And I loved it. I love magic, I love witches, I love the whole [Harry Potter] world. I was all too happy to play a witch.”
Helen McCrory would later go on to don the role of Narcissa Malfoy, the mother to Draco Malfoy and a sister to Bellatrix Lestrange. With high ratings and billions of dollars to its name, the Harry Potter franchise is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
