Helena Bonham Carter in person is just a stunning person, both her looks and her wonderfully acerbic personality. For a person thats done mostly serious roles its very cool to hear her make fun of herself. She obviously enjoyed being the titular character in Corpse Bride not only because her boyfriend, Tim Burton, made the film but because its an exceptional dark tale that surpasses its predecessor, The Nightmare Before Christmas in every way possible.
Check out the official site for Tim Burtons Corpse Bride
Daniel Robert Epstein: Is it weird to see the puppet version of yourself?
Helena Bonham Carter: Well it's not entirely based on me. I'm not dead and I dont have blue hair but some people say there are similarities. A good friend, Richard E. Grant, said oh that's so you. What I love was that it is usually intolerable to watch myself onscreen but this time it's fine. I think it's beautiful and a real work of art. We get to sell the thing but the people who really have done all the work, the animators, are absolutely extraordinary. Its mind boggling because the whole point of a joke to me is that it's all about speed or the unexpected but they do a joke and it takes six weeks for them to tell it.
DRE: How was recording in the sound booth?
HBC: I had somebody to act with, it wasn't Johnny [Depp] in fact I didn't do one line with Johnny. You have to fully commit. I ended up preparing for the part, possibly because I was pregnant for the beginning, so I was just acting starved. But I developed the part, analyzed the character, thought up choices and thoughts and everything as much as I would any other part. I think you hope to overcompensate for the fact you've got nothing to help you.
DRE: You didnt need to get into hair and makeup either.
HBC: It didnt matter what you look like. You don't have to get up at 5:30 in the morning and there's a lot to be said for that. Corpse Bride can just play all my parts from now on and I'll just do the voice.
DRE: Did you get to keep a memento from Corpse Bride?
HBC: Tim said that he's going to give me Corpse Bride, which means that he's just giving himself Corpse Bride really. I'm just like, thank you! [laughs] I have yet to get it, so remind him. [their son] Billy doesn't get to play with her yet, he's got to wait.
DRE: Corpse Bride was particularly well endowed.
HBC: I think it's just his hope. It's his gentle hint for me to get some plastic surgery [laughs]. He can have his fantasy. He likes curves and round things. [laughs] It appeals to his aesthetic.
DRE: The Land of the Dead is so much livelier than the land of the living, what do you think of that?
HBC: It's so much better. I just hope that it's the case. Tim [Burton] might be right. I think it's very helpful to kids too even though I don't think kids have a problem with death. It's us older ones who are nearer to it, that start being frightened.
DRE: Do you see Tim reflected in the character of Victor?
HBC: He sometimes has a hesitancy to him, certainly socially, with strangers. He's shy, introverted and sweet.
DRE: Was Corpse Bride an interpretation of you?
HBC: Obviously there was a bit only because I ended up playing her but not the maggot, not the eye, or the detachable hand. Although there'd be a lot to be said for those things.
DRE: Would you do a sequel to Corpse Bride?
HBC: I was sad that Corpse Bride was so short. I would've liked to have had her around for way longer. She doesn't actually have that many scenes. I was surprised when Tim said oh no, it's over; I said it can't be over! I've got the lead; it must be a bigger part! [laughs] But I would definitely have liked to done more of her.
DRE: Does being a mom give you a different perspective on entertainment for kids?
HBC: They can handle it way more. Roald Dahl was very clever about kids, he knew how to write for kids and he said that they're basically uncivilized savages. It's true; they love the dark and wicked side of things. My mom's a psychotherapist and I asked her what she thought of the name Corpse Bride and she said that kids have always needed to know about death. All the ancient classic fairy tales have always been scary and dark.
DRE: How is it having a partner in the same profession as you?
HBC: I went out with somebody before who was in the profession so most of my relationships were people in the business. Having said that, me and Tim don't really talk that much about work. He comes into my bit of the house every so often to vent but we dont really have very high cultured conversations [laughs].
DRE: Whats the difference between working with him and other directors?
HBC: Well apart from the fact that I sleep with him and I don't do that with other directors [laughs]. Tim's is somebody you can trust and yet he doesn't say that much. It's fun always with him, he creates a light environment and you see that he's having a really good time. He invariably laughs at whatever you're doing even if it's not funny. He creates a play area and he gives you a chance to do it a few times. He has a real respect for absolutely everybody on the crew. I know most of the crew members because he tends to work the same crew members. Most of them are Billy Burton's godparents too, he's got eleven godparents and most of them are crew members. Tim also has enough confidence so that it always looks like a Tim Burton film, but it really is collaborative. You're allowed to do it your way but of course he's always going to choose his way.
DRE: Was working on the feature length Wallace and Gromit different than Corpse Bride?
HBC: It was actually a bit longer. All animators are somewhat anal, because it is all about detail. They spend the weeks on seconds, so I think that since Wallace and Gromits humor has so much to do with facial idiosyncrasies and nuance, it meant that you tended to do a line over and over and over. They're the sweetest and nicest people, but then you'd end up doing 80 takes or something. So it did require a certain amount of mental stamina and a good sense of humor. They wanted you to exactly produce what was in their mind. It's completely different from other kinds of acting, where you're kind of putting things together and you see what happens. It's kind of like a chemical experiment, to see like what explodes or doesn't.
DRE: You started your career with Merchant Ivory. Ismail Merchant recently passed, could you talk about that?
HBC: Not without crying. It's all a bit raw because it's still so shocking. Ismail's death came in from left field. He wasn't going to go out with a whimper but it was so unexpected and definitely premature. He was somebody who got an impossible amount of films made. He did it through sheer pigheadedness, obstinacy and he also ignored anything that he didn't want to hear. I think that's actually ultimately what killed him because he ignored his body and his body wasn't keeping up with his massive spirit. An unstoppable spirit, but unfortunately his body was stoppable.
DRE: Youve gained a certain kind of fan with Fight Club and Tims films, were you ever like that when you were younger?
HBC: No, I guess I must have had them inside me all the time and now they're finally getting out. I only get them from the page.
DRE: So you werent like that when you were younger?
HBC: No, I was exceedingly good. I was like one of those nauseatingly nice children. I was very, very well behaved and boring.
DRE: How do you look back on Fight Club?
HBC: I laugh with a lot of affection because I loved working on it. It is an amazing picture.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
Check out the official site for Tim Burtons Corpse Bride
Daniel Robert Epstein: Is it weird to see the puppet version of yourself?
Helena Bonham Carter: Well it's not entirely based on me. I'm not dead and I dont have blue hair but some people say there are similarities. A good friend, Richard E. Grant, said oh that's so you. What I love was that it is usually intolerable to watch myself onscreen but this time it's fine. I think it's beautiful and a real work of art. We get to sell the thing but the people who really have done all the work, the animators, are absolutely extraordinary. Its mind boggling because the whole point of a joke to me is that it's all about speed or the unexpected but they do a joke and it takes six weeks for them to tell it.
DRE: How was recording in the sound booth?
HBC: I had somebody to act with, it wasn't Johnny [Depp] in fact I didn't do one line with Johnny. You have to fully commit. I ended up preparing for the part, possibly because I was pregnant for the beginning, so I was just acting starved. But I developed the part, analyzed the character, thought up choices and thoughts and everything as much as I would any other part. I think you hope to overcompensate for the fact you've got nothing to help you.
DRE: You didnt need to get into hair and makeup either.
HBC: It didnt matter what you look like. You don't have to get up at 5:30 in the morning and there's a lot to be said for that. Corpse Bride can just play all my parts from now on and I'll just do the voice.
DRE: Did you get to keep a memento from Corpse Bride?
HBC: Tim said that he's going to give me Corpse Bride, which means that he's just giving himself Corpse Bride really. I'm just like, thank you! [laughs] I have yet to get it, so remind him. [their son] Billy doesn't get to play with her yet, he's got to wait.
DRE: Corpse Bride was particularly well endowed.
HBC: I think it's just his hope. It's his gentle hint for me to get some plastic surgery [laughs]. He can have his fantasy. He likes curves and round things. [laughs] It appeals to his aesthetic.
DRE: The Land of the Dead is so much livelier than the land of the living, what do you think of that?
HBC: It's so much better. I just hope that it's the case. Tim [Burton] might be right. I think it's very helpful to kids too even though I don't think kids have a problem with death. It's us older ones who are nearer to it, that start being frightened.
DRE: Do you see Tim reflected in the character of Victor?
HBC: He sometimes has a hesitancy to him, certainly socially, with strangers. He's shy, introverted and sweet.
DRE: Was Corpse Bride an interpretation of you?
HBC: Obviously there was a bit only because I ended up playing her but not the maggot, not the eye, or the detachable hand. Although there'd be a lot to be said for those things.
DRE: Would you do a sequel to Corpse Bride?
HBC: I was sad that Corpse Bride was so short. I would've liked to have had her around for way longer. She doesn't actually have that many scenes. I was surprised when Tim said oh no, it's over; I said it can't be over! I've got the lead; it must be a bigger part! [laughs] But I would definitely have liked to done more of her.
DRE: Does being a mom give you a different perspective on entertainment for kids?
HBC: They can handle it way more. Roald Dahl was very clever about kids, he knew how to write for kids and he said that they're basically uncivilized savages. It's true; they love the dark and wicked side of things. My mom's a psychotherapist and I asked her what she thought of the name Corpse Bride and she said that kids have always needed to know about death. All the ancient classic fairy tales have always been scary and dark.
DRE: How is it having a partner in the same profession as you?
HBC: I went out with somebody before who was in the profession so most of my relationships were people in the business. Having said that, me and Tim don't really talk that much about work. He comes into my bit of the house every so often to vent but we dont really have very high cultured conversations [laughs].
DRE: Whats the difference between working with him and other directors?
HBC: Well apart from the fact that I sleep with him and I don't do that with other directors [laughs]. Tim's is somebody you can trust and yet he doesn't say that much. It's fun always with him, he creates a light environment and you see that he's having a really good time. He invariably laughs at whatever you're doing even if it's not funny. He creates a play area and he gives you a chance to do it a few times. He has a real respect for absolutely everybody on the crew. I know most of the crew members because he tends to work the same crew members. Most of them are Billy Burton's godparents too, he's got eleven godparents and most of them are crew members. Tim also has enough confidence so that it always looks like a Tim Burton film, but it really is collaborative. You're allowed to do it your way but of course he's always going to choose his way.
DRE: Was working on the feature length Wallace and Gromit different than Corpse Bride?
HBC: It was actually a bit longer. All animators are somewhat anal, because it is all about detail. They spend the weeks on seconds, so I think that since Wallace and Gromits humor has so much to do with facial idiosyncrasies and nuance, it meant that you tended to do a line over and over and over. They're the sweetest and nicest people, but then you'd end up doing 80 takes or something. So it did require a certain amount of mental stamina and a good sense of humor. They wanted you to exactly produce what was in their mind. It's completely different from other kinds of acting, where you're kind of putting things together and you see what happens. It's kind of like a chemical experiment, to see like what explodes or doesn't.
DRE: You started your career with Merchant Ivory. Ismail Merchant recently passed, could you talk about that?
HBC: Not without crying. It's all a bit raw because it's still so shocking. Ismail's death came in from left field. He wasn't going to go out with a whimper but it was so unexpected and definitely premature. He was somebody who got an impossible amount of films made. He did it through sheer pigheadedness, obstinacy and he also ignored anything that he didn't want to hear. I think that's actually ultimately what killed him because he ignored his body and his body wasn't keeping up with his massive spirit. An unstoppable spirit, but unfortunately his body was stoppable.
DRE: Youve gained a certain kind of fan with Fight Club and Tims films, were you ever like that when you were younger?
HBC: No, I guess I must have had them inside me all the time and now they're finally getting out. I only get them from the page.
DRE: So you werent like that when you were younger?
HBC: No, I was exceedingly good. I was like one of those nauseatingly nice children. I was very, very well behaved and boring.
DRE: How do you look back on Fight Club?
HBC: I laugh with a lot of affection because I loved working on it. It is an amazing picture.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
VIEW 14 of 14 COMMENTS
Yup.