The great British actress gets her big head on again for Alice Through the Looking Glass.
Den of Geek: What did you like about playing The Red Queen?
And what made it interesting and different to come back?
Helena Bonham Carter: I loved playing her originally because of her look, too.
I always like camouflaging myself, basically.
Shes just such a strong character.
Its always liberating to play someone who has basically stopped growing up.
She was just brilliantly written.
It was a gift.
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And then when the sequel came around, I was just praying it was well-written.
[laughs] And it all made sense.
And there was lots of things to develop.
So it was fun, because she wasnt necessarily a big part in the first one.
So it was nice to have something where you develop something and you work on something quite a lot.
And I seriously do…Im anal about my craft.
So I had quite a good base.
And I thought, Theres a lot more that we can do and use.
I loved the idea of herself thinking shes still queen even though she isnt.
So its a bit Miss Havisham, a bit ofSunset Boulevardand having to rule something.
Thats the only way she operates to make herself feel okay, so she had to rule the vegetables.
I liked that idea.
It made sense to me.
Do you ever go back and look at the books yourself?
Well, I definitely did.
No, I did.
So everybodys head that was normal size was always a reminder that hers was abnormal.
So thats why she had to cut everybody elses head off.
Did you interact much with the little girl who plays the younger version of the character?
We didnt coincide in the schedules.
The tiny bit where I see her, where we revisit that moment.
How was it working with Sacha on this one?
Sacha is forever inventive and unpredictable.
What was great was to see how he had this long relationship with James Bobin.
You know, if the laugh is going to happen.
And the perfectionism is very exacting.
So it was fascinating to see them work.
What did James bring to the table?
Hes very, very clever, James.
But he was happy to work with us.
Hes a real gentleman.
He wears stress incredibly well.
And he examines every single moment.
He really helped us when we were, you know…a lot of directors might be lazy.
Theres no set to lose yourself in.
Youve got to really imagine everything.
Its a difficult because theyre all short bits.
And its very difficult to get some momentum or any heightened degree of concentration or flow, I think.
It was in a very sort of sterile blue room.
He was very helpful.
I really loved him, trusted him.
Youve done so many films with visual effects.
I was actually talking about all the light and saying it was difficult to maintain concentration.
You just have to work harder.
And then youll feel less of a twat.
This film is dedicated to Alan Rickman.
You shared so many films with him, including all theHarry Potterfilms.
This is his last one.
Anything that you want to just say about him in general?
Well, the poetic thing about it is hes voicing a blue butterfly.
And often, butterflies…you know, death can be seen as the end.
So, I think maybe theres something poetic in him being a blue butterfly in his last screen presence.
And he had an absolutely and totally unforgettable…there will never be another voice like his.
Is there a genre of film that you have not done yet that you would like to do?
Id like to know a musical.
I guess I sort of did that.
A silent movie then.
Which one of your roles do you get asked the most about by fans?
Not really a cartoon, but its a tiny part I really tried to develop.
But I did love doing it.
I was privileged just to be part of it.
Whats next after this?
Its a film called55 Steps, directed by Bille August.
I play someone who is a paranoid schizophrenic with learning difficulties.
So that should be a laugh!
[laughs]
Alice Through the Looking Glassopens in theaters Friday (May 27).