Helena Bonham Carter who stars in “Fairy Godmother”, releasing shortly, has acted in a wide variety of film, television and stage projects both in the U.S. and in her native England. Some of her recent work includes “Les Miserables,” “The Lone Ranger,” “Great Expectations,” “Dark Shadows,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” where she reprised the role of the evil Bellatrix Lestrange which she first played in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and again in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and yet again in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.”
The actor will next be seen in “Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass,” reprising her role as the Red Queen. She elaborates on her role in the upcoming Cindrella film.
How was it playing such a beloved role?
“The Fairy Godmother” is like Cinderella’s guardian spirit, her saviour. I am the one figure of kindness left over from her mother, and in a way, she’s almost like the spirit of her mother. And it turns out she’s been watching Cinderella for some time, and then when she’s in utter despair comes swooping in to help her out. It was kind of tricky to tackle actually, because this is such a classic story and the Fairy Godmother is such an iconic character. But this is a huge film with massive sets which really helped. I have done my share of films with green screens where you literally have to imagine everything that’s supposed to be around you, so I found it tremendously helpful shooting my scenes in the garden with the conservatory and Ella’s house there for inspiration.
How does this “Fairy Godmother” differ from the one people associated with the animated film?
In the animated version she is about 60 years old and has white hair and in our film she looks younger and her hair is more coiffed and platinum in colour. And we kind of allude to the fact that she might not be the most efficient Fairy Godmother around and we even call her magic into question. She is highly stressed because of the time restraints placed upon her and she’s not all together there mentally.
What attracted you to the role?
It was a fantastic opportunity to get to reinvent the wheel because there really isn’t a consistent image of the Fairy Godmother. It was great fun to think about things like how she got to where she is. I am supposed to be a designer in a way because I am creating things to help prepare Cinderella for the ball, so I make her dress, I design her shoes, I design the footmen and I get the transport ready. As for why she chose a pumpkin for the carriage, I started thinking that maybe the pumpkin was an accident and she had actually intended for the carriage to come from something else, like a watermelon. The possibilities are endless, and as an actor I love thinking up back-stories for my characters.
Tell us about the look of your character. What was involved in getting you camera ready?
She is basically what a 5-year-old would think the perfect Fairy Godmother should look like. The costumes that Sandy Powell has designed are huge, and not the most practical I must say. There is no position you can actually rest in and it is next to impossible to breathe (as a result of the corset), so most of the time I was exhausted and quite delirious. The gown is, of course, fabulous once it’s on, but when I am called upon to move I am like a walking disaster because I tend to gather stools and all sorts of things in my wake. The dress is white with silvery wings and is about four feet wide. Getting ready took a ridiculously long time, though. And the sad thing is that I start off as an old beggar woman, but it took them longer to make me look like a Fairy Godmother than it did to make me look like an old woman.
How was it like working with Lily James?
Lily is great, and honestly, is like the most exquisite being ever. As a Fairy Godmother you are supposed to love your ward or your Fairy Goddaughter or whatever she is called, which was no problem for me because Lily is just so easy to love. She is simply adorable, and she has got a natural charm, grace and sort of timelessness about her. Plus she is a brilliant actress.
And Ken Branagh as a director?
Ken is funny and full of happiness, and he is never short of words. But we laugh about that because people usually tell me I speak too much as well. But on a serious note, he is a brilliant director and he is so articulate, and there is not a doubt in my mind that he is going to make this thing fly because it has to have a certain heightened energy and he has that in spades.
