There are so many Helena Bonham Carter transformations that absolutely astound me. Helena is one of my favorite actresses, and often the outfits and quirks that put her on fashionistas' naughty lists are my favorites, but that love is nothing compared to what I feel for her movies. Even when she's not terribly outlandish, she still transforms herself, her mannerisms, and her personality in amazing ways that speak of her talents and her flair for the theatrical. Check out my favorite Helena Bonham Carter transformations and see if you don't agree.
1 Elizabeth Taylor
This transformation is actually from the film that prompted this post. Many actresses have taken on the role of Elizabeth Taylor, including Lindsay Lohan. I kind of agree with some critics that Helena looks a bit like Delta Burke in this movie, but still, it's one of my favorite Helena Bonham Carter transformations because she's nearly unrecognizable. The quirky, funky, out-of-the-box actress we all know and love takes on a timeless, classic, and elegant look, and besides that, she does beautifully channel Liz's special brand of hauteur.
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2 The Red Queen
Helena plays in a lot of partner Tim Burton's movies, but she definitely has a flair for them. While Burton's interpretation of Alice in Wonderland gets a lot of flak, there were aspects of the film that I adored, and you can't argue that it was visually stunning. Helena as the Red Queen was certifiably evil and creepy, and even with her overly large head, I much preferred her to her kinder counterpart.
3 Mrs. Lovett
No one does diabolical femme fatale quite like Helena Bonham Carter, as proven by her turn as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Although I love Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and Helena herself, of course, I'm the first to admit that sometimes the trio's movies get a little … meh (witness The Lone Ranger), but this is one film where I think it worked. The transformation here was partly due to the dark cinematography, but Helena's cockney charm was wonderful.
4 Dr. Julia Hoffman
You really can't get away from the Burton/Depp/Bonham Carter trifecta, can you? I won't necessarily say I loved Dark Shadows, mainly because my father and grandfather both introduced me to the original series when I was little, but I did love Dr. Julia Hoffman. Helena took the costuming and wardrobe and made it more, so that you no longer saw her as just Helena.
5 Bellatrix Lestrange
Of course, she looked pretty much herself, after a fashion, in the Harry Potter films, but as an admitted Potter-head, you know I had to mention Bellatrix, right? She was so evil that she kind of made evil look good, and although I cheered along with everyone else when Molly punched her ticket, she was still a highlight in the film. She just does sneering so well.
6 Madame Thenardier
Helena was really just wonderful in Les Miserables. I don't know what it was, exactly; I've seen every movie version, I've seen the musical on stage, and of course I've read Les Mis more times than I can count. She was well cast in this, however, and just really looked the part.
7 Ladie Minerva Munday
Let's go back to 1989, shall we? I was only seven, so I didn't see Getting It Right until many years after the fact, but it began my love affair with Helena Bonham Carter. I actually doubt this was so much a transformation, it was more the way Helena got through the '80s, but come on. The dark brows, the wild hair – she was definitely transforming into the actress we love today.
8 Ari
I hated the Planet of the Apes remake. Hated it. I cannot even tell you how much I despised it. But Helena as Ari was a treat. It was the only role I could even stomach, and so much the better, I had no idea it was even her until the credits rolled. When I forced myself to watch it again later, however, I could see little inklings of the actress aping the part (see what I did there?).
9 Marla Singer
All right, I'm kind of cheating. But although Marla, with her marabou feathers and messy hair and fatalistic attitude, didn't exactly mark a transformation, at the same time she kind of did. I saw Marla and she was exactly as I pictured her when I read Fight Club. She's still one of my most enduring movie girl crushes, and I'm sort of in love with everything about her, from that smoky, ironic voice to her tendency toward the macabre.
See why I love Helena Bonham Carter so much? But of course lots of actors and actresses completely transform themselves, to the point where they're unrecognizable. What's your favorite movie transformation of all time?
