The actress was so happy with the script that she was ready to get the role at any cost.
Helena Bonham Carter was not only Tim Burton’s partner, but also his muse. Carter starred in almost all of his films, and was a perfect fit for his dreamlike, gothic style.
One of the most notable collaborations between Carter and Burton was Sweeney Todd: The Devil Barber of Fleet Street, in which the actress played Mrs. Lovett.
Miss Lovett is a childless widow who has gone a little mad, not only with grief, but also with her love for Sweeney Todd. She helped the killer dispose of the victims’ bodies and put them in her pies.
In Sweeney Todd, Helena had to sing alone, even though she had never sung in a film before.
Many may think that Carter was only cast because she was dating Tim Burton, but she actually auditioned for Sweeney Todd.
It was only after Helena saw the script that she realized she wanted the role, at which point Burton told her she would have to audition like everyone else in order to get it. Needless to say, the actress won the director’s choice and got the role she wanted.
But as the actress herself commented, she wanted to play Mrs. Lovett so much that she would have fired Burton if she didn’t succeed:
“I auditioned for my role – although I would have divorced Tim if I didn’t get him. In fact, we’re not even married, but I would have divorced him.”
Having appeared in seven of Burton’s films, Helena Bonham Carter is the director’s second favorite actress (after Johnny Depp, of course). Carter appeared in nearly all of Burton’s films during their partnership between 2001 and 2014.
Helena Bonham Carter stars in Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes as Ari, Big Fish as Jenny/The Witch, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as Mrs. Bucket, Corpse Bride as the voice of Emily, and Alice in Wonderland as Red Queen and Dark Shadows in role. Dr. Julia Hoffman.
source: Irish Examiner
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