Not all good ideas are destined to come to fruition, and The White Lotus’ fourth season is possibly proof of that, as the ongoing production is now more than two weeks removed from the surprising and sudden departure of co-star Helena Bonham Carter. Creator Mike White wrote the part specifically for the Crown vet, but it’s been reported that creative differences were to blame, and the actress allegedly wasn’t “boisterous” enough with her performance. Now, Season 4 co-star Steve Coogan has addressed the situation.

The BAFTA-winning Coogan (whose latest small-screen project Legends hit the 2026 TV schedule on May 7 via Netflix subscription) is one of many top-tier cast members locked in for the France-set storyline that will be partially set at the Cannes Film Festival. It sounds like he’s having quite a good time bringing his character to life, even if he couldn’t exactly spread all the details out willy nilly. Speaking with Deadline on the BAFTA TV red carpet (via X clip), he also shared what he could about Carter’s exit, saying:

It's perhaps worth noting that Steve Coogan's vocalized answer wasn't nearly as straightforward as it sounds written out, with much stammering and hemming surrounding the words. (Not as much hawing, though.) It could have been that he wasn't ready to be asked about it — unlikely, given the fan response to Carter leaving the series — but also could be an issue where he's just trying not to accidentally put more blame on one side than the other.

The character written for Helena Bonham Carter has been described as a former Hollywood heavyweight attempting to reenter the spotlight with a late-career surge. It doesn't seem like the most pleasant character to be around, and sounded to me like a mash-up between Michelle Monaghan and Parker Posey's Season 3 characters. But we may never know if that comparison tracks at all.

The way Coogan puts it implies that creator Mike White and Carter came to an agreement regarding the future of the project, and that it would be best if she bowed out, as opposed to reworking any of the character elements that were possibly to blame. That sounds strange to me, considering White literally did craft an entirely new character for Laura Dern, who stepped in and joined the show after Carter left. Perhaps that new persona wouldn't have fit the Fight Club co-star's talents as much.

For all that he was stumbling on his words regarding cast changes, Steve Coogan appeared very pleased to be bringing his multi-genre talents to this lavish vacation-centric production. (Perhaps fitting for filmmaker celebrated for a series called The Trip.) Here's what he had to say about his White Lotus experiences thus far with Mike White:

Steve Coogan is arguably most known around the world for his brilliant performances as TV personality Alan Partridge, and one can only hope that some of the actor's improvising in The White Lotus taps into some of that same headspace. I mean, it would be even better if he was actually playing Alan Partridge on vacation, but that's perhaps a crossover only destined for fan-fic.

The White Lotus will likely continue filming for the next few months, with Season 4 likely hitting HBO in early 2027. Until then, the past three seasons can be streamed in full via HBO Max subscription.

On the eve the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, production for the fourth season of The White Lotus is currently underway in France. Creator Mike White & Co. will be popping up at the annual festivities ahead of the HBO series eventually taking over the location after the fest’s conclusion, with the latest mystery-driven season partially set at the cinema-centric event. Before that, however, the previously cast Helena Bonham Carter exited the project, with “creative differences” being the catch-all explanation.

Now, the actual reason for the Fight Club vet’s exit has allegedly come to light, and it’s not the reasoning I would have guessed in my first hundred or so attempts. According to Variety’s behind-the-scenes report on the early days of Season 4, Carter’s character (which was written specifically for her) was a washed-up actress attempting to stage a grand comeback, and the difference in creative vision is said to have stemmed from creator Mike White’s desire for a “boisterous” performance from the Oscar-nominated actress.

Bafflingly, no further details were shared, with that left as the only crumb of a reason we have to go on for why Carter chose to bow out of a role that no doubt would have led to more Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, given how well The White Lotus does in those respects. And I know I’m not the only person who can very easily envision her playing any manner of boisterous characters. Tapping into lively performances is old hat for the British thesp, who truly came into her own in the 2000s, at least in that respect.

As such, it’s quite shocking to hear this being offered up as the reason why she parted ways with the HBO hit. It’s possible some of the character details beyond the boisterous description were to blame. If the character took strides to further her career that rang insincere to Carter, that itself could have been enough to provoke the split, assuming Mike White didn’t want to change anything that was already set in stone.

Helena Bonham Carter is obviously the only one who could offer up the most definitive reasoning for bowing out, so I hope she addresses it at some point, and that it doesn't end up being worse than it was initially reported.

Thankfully for White Lotus fans, Mike White was able to successfully pivot to cast past collaborator Laura Dern to take on a new character written to fill the void left by Carter. So it seems like everything should be moving forward at a steady clip for the next few months ahead of Season 4 hitting streaming via HBO Max subscription.

Meanwhile, Carter will soon be seen in the third Enola Holmes movie when that hits Netflix, as well as reuniting with her Howard's End co-star Anthony Hopkins for the impending romantic drama The Housekeeper.

One of TV’s most gorgeous murder-mystery dramedies will soon return — okay, it’s almost definitely on top of that list — as The White Lotus is currently in the midst of filming its highly anticipated fourth season. (Even if it won’t be ready in time for a 2026 premiere date.) The HBO series suffered a creative blip in recent days when the absolutely stacked cast lost Oscar winner Helena Bonham Carter over curiously described creative differences. But her replacement has already been found, and it’s a banger.

In a pinch, creator Mike White was able to work some recasting magic by bringing in one of his go-to collaborators, the always excellent Laura Dern, who is officially set to fill the void left by Carter's absence, as reported by Deadline. All hail the queen!

Dern won't be playing the exact same character that was written for The Crown vet, which is possibly a good thing, since it was the role itself that caused disagreements once filming began, sparking the actress to bow out. (It was stated the character "didn't align" with everyone else.) Mike White says he'd still love to bring Carter back for a later season in a different capacity.

Instead, the Jurassic franchise fave will be taking on a completely new character that White is creating just for her. Carter's role was pivotal to the Season 4 storyline, so it's assumed that the creator is finding ways to make the plot elements match up with the new addition.

This certainly won't be the first time Laura Dern and Mike White work together. In fact, it won't even be her first role in this HBO series, though it will specifically be her first on-screen performance. Fans may remember that she voiced Abby, the estranged wife of Michael Imperioli's Dominic in Season 2, during phone calls.

Their collaborations first started back in 2007, when Dern co-starred in White's feature Year of the Dog. Some years later, they reconnected to co-create the dramedy Enlightened, which Dern led, and which also aired on HBO. Fans were inclined to jump on the speculation bandwagon that Dern was involved in Season 4 when she and White were seen togher in L.A. when the filmmaker was locking down locations. (Season 4 is filming in France, for all that the locals may not be enthused.)

Check out this non-exhaustive list of all the big stars filling out The White Lotus Season 4, with Dern's name now in the mix.

• Chloe Bennet
• Sandra Bernhard
• Vincent Cassel
• Steve Coogan
• Laura Dern
• Heather Graham
• Ari Graynor
• Max Greenfield
• Frida Gustavsson
• Marissa Long
• Alexander Ludwig
• Chris Messina
• Kumail Nanjiani
• Rosie Perez

Given that filming just kicked off for the season, which will be set during the Cannes Film Festival, we'll hopefully get more updates in the months to come, but likely won't see the new season's episodes hitting HBO or streaming (via HBO Max subscription) until Spring 2027.

Dern most recently co-starred opposite Kristen Wiig in the Apple TV dramedy Palm Royale, which was canceled in March after two seasons. She's currently filming Molly Gordon high school reunion comedy Peaked.

I picked up a copy of Harry Potter cast member Evanna Lynch’s biography The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting recently, and the coming-of-age portrait has been startling and insightful. It’s clear the actress known for playing Luna Lovegood was finding her way into the world and determining the person she wanted to be as David Yates was capturing her on camera. Yet one story from the making of the popular franchise stood out to me, and Helena Bonham Carter and Jason Isaacs were involved.

If you're a huge Harry Potter fan and know anything about Lynch, you may know she’s a careful performer, an overthinker, and a person who is always aiming for “perfection.” She’s the first to admit it, and she does in her book. These traits even came out on the Potter set, as she described her anxiety in trying to create one of the best fantasy movies thusly:

The actress recognizes while looking back that she was stressing herself out. She even approached David Yates at points to ask him if he “was sure” he was happy with some of her takes. She noted he was a director who liked lots of takes too, leading to plenty of anguish about what would make it into the final version of the film.

She was even intimidated by co-stars like Emma Watson on set, but she was finally able to escape the narrative of putting herself through unnecessary “stress” thanks to watching Carter and Isaacs film one day. She got to set early and saw them filming almost the opposite of how she’d been doing it, noting they did not “second-guess their choices.”

After that, she said she loosened up a bit, noting in her book it was less about trying to “impress David Yates” and more about finding “creativity in motion.” She called this lesson “the hardest thing to do on a movie set” given all of the eyes from the BTS crew on the actors at all times. But apparently Bonham Carter and Isaacs dominate at it.

Yates directed some of the later movies in the Harry Potter franchise, and Lynch joined the cast of the films with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She would hone her craft in subsequent films like Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows -Part 1 and Part 2 in the franchise’s final years. (Though if you ask her she's admitted she's forgotten in moments she was involved in the Wizarding World.) She still acts some, but is interested in causes promoting veganism and mental health pursuits, along with her podcast Just Beings.

If you know me, you know I love animation. I’ve always been a fan, from the latest animated movies coming out as part of the 2024 movie schedule to classics that I could rewatch again and again. I also love animation on television, something that I grew up on and have come to appreciate even more. But there are just some characters voiced by actors that I genuinely could not imagine another actor voicing them – and today, we’ll be going over them. 

Robin Williams As Genie (Aladdin)

This is the obvious answer. Robin Williams as the Genie in Aladdin was honestly one of Robin Williams' best roles, and he wasn’t even on screen. He was able to give so much energy, wit, and fun to a character that was drawn, and it almost made you feel like Genie was a friend rather than some random side character.

Tim Allen As Buzz (Toy Story Franchise)

Toy Story is hands down one of the best Pixar films, and a big reason for this is the natural partnership between Buzz and Woody. Of course, I had to put Tim Allen as Buzz here. I’m pretty sure we can barely think of Buzz in any other way aside from Allen doing it, even if Chris Evans did give it his all in the Lightyear cast. 

Dante Basco As Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

“Hello, Zuko here,” is a line that has lived in my brain since I was literally a child and will forever be there. Dante Basco as Zuko is iconic. Not only is Basco basically the biggest Avatar: The Last Airbender fan out there, but he’s also voiced not one but two characters in the ATLA universe. However, he, like Zuko, can’t be beaten, and we will always love him voicing one of the best redemption arcs on television. 

Bryce Papenbrook As Eren Yeager (Attack On Titan)

Let me preface this by saying that yes, I know the primary voice roles for anime are the Japanese voice actors but have you ever heard an English dub actor who is just so good that it makes it almost impossible to watch it in Japanese? That’s Bryce Papenbrook with Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan. As one of my favorite anime, I started this series listening to Papenbrook, and I ended it with him, too, when I watched the finale again with the dub. He does Eren so well, and it’s hard to picture anyone else but him. 

Eddie Murphy As Mushu (Mulan)

Eddie Murphy is one of those actors where it feels like he plays himself in his voice roles, and he, as Mushu, is certainly one of them. I cannot tell you how often I quote this character. “Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!” I mean, only Murphy could have that kind of delivery. 

Tara Strong As Timmy Turner (The Fairly Oddparents)

There are some voice actors out there who ultimately defined my childhood, and Tara Strong is one of them. I could put so many of her characters on here from multiple different TV shows, but I think the best one has to be Timmy Turner from The Fairly Oddparents. I couldn’t imagine Timmy having a distinct voice, and Strong brought so much character to his iconic kid. 

Seth MacFarlane As Stewie Griffin (Family Guy)

Family Guy has cemented itself as a show that just won’t stop, and the voice actors have pretty much stayed the same since the beginning. One that hasn’t changed is Stewie Griffin, who is voiced by the creator of the show, Seth MacFarlane, and obviously, he has to be here. I’m pretty sure Stewie is probably the most iconic character from the show, and it’s because of MacFarlane’s delivery and his hilarious lines. 

Tom Hanks As Woody (Toy Story Franchise)

Come on. You knew Tom Hanks would be here. Hanks is like the grandfather of our generation when it comes to voice roles, and his role as Woody will live on in our memories long after we’re all gone and Toy Story becomes a certified classic (if it isn’t already). Hanks is just that good, and I will listen to him voice Woody over and over again. 

Ellen DeGeneres As Dory (Finding Nemo)

Ellen DeGeneres isn’t exactly known for her movies, as she was mainly a daytime talk show host for many, many years, but her voice acting as Dory in Finding Nemo is top-notch. Dory wound up becoming just as big as the clown fishes that we followed in the movie and became a loveable character that children all around the world flocked to, and that’s because of DeGeneres and her voice skills. 

Jay Baruchel As Hiccup (How To Train Your Dragon)

Even though there’s a live-action How To Train Your Dragon set to release, you can’t beat the animated movies, and of course, Jay Baruchel is voicing Hiccup, the main character. Honestly, I think Hiccup would have been really tough to nail if the voice actor wasn’t right. Baruchel had to find the delicate balance between a surprisingly brave warrior and a kind of wimpy teenager and build on that for three movies straight – and he rocks it. 

Eddie Murphy As Donkey (Shrek)

Eddie Murphy as Donkey is everything. Look at me. Look at me and tell me you can picture someone else as Donkey because I surely can’t. This talking animal has cemented itself into pop culture with hilarious lines, memes, and so much more, and it’s because of Murphy’s delivery. Now I’m gonna go and make some waffles. 

Kaiji Tang As Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Kaiji Tang is an example of an English dub actor in anime who knocks it out of the park. I honestly love any version of Jujutsu Kaisen, and Season 2 was one of my favorite anime of 2023, but let me tell you, Tang, as Gojo, made it so much better. His line delivery is just phenomenal – it’s no wonder the character is, like, the anime community’s crush. With that smooth voice, it’d be hard not to crush on him.

Trey Parker As Eric Cartman (South Park)

There are so many outrageous episodes in South Park that make you squirm, and you want to know who’s behind most of them. Eric Cartman, because he’s a menace to society – so, of course, one of the creators is the voice behind him. Trey Parker is a naturally funny person, so he as Eric Cartman makes sense – only he could think of the most ridiculous and awful lines to say for a literal fourth-grader. 

Billy Crystal As Mike Wazowski (Monsters Inc.)

When making this list, I thought about putting maybe John Goodman as Sully, but then I really thought about it and realized that Mike is actually low-key more iconic. Mike, in general, is a great character with a good backstory and a hilarious sense of humor, but you want to know why he’s so funny? It’s because of Billy Crystal—I can almost feel him through Mike. Mike is Billy, Billy is Mike. 

Shameik Moore As Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse)

Miles Morales proved anyone can wear the mask in Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, a film that became a huge hit and spawned a sequel and another movie coming out soon enough. However, a big reason why Miles is such a great character is because of the voice behind him, Shameik Moore. Since the first film, Moore has brought humility to Miles, but also that kind of smooth swagger that we know only he could have. He’s excellent, and I can’t wait to hear more from him. 

Tom Kenny As Spongebob (SpongeBob SquarePants)

How could I not include Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants from the SpongeBob SquarePants series here? This man is my childhood. Sure, there are impressionists out there who believe they can impersonate SpongeBob, but no one can do it like Tom Kenny, and I stand by that. 

Kaley Cuoco As Harley Quinn (Harley Quinn)

There have been multiple people who have voiced Harley Quinn in Batman TV shows and animated movies, but I’m sorry. Kaley Cuoco takes the cake, and I want her to be the animated version of Harley Quinn from now on. Her take on Harley in the TV show Harley Quinn is hilarious, on-brand, and unforgettable, and if you haven’t had the chance to watch her voice the heck out of his classic DC villain/antihero, then you have to. 

Mike Myers As Shrek (Shrek)

Obviously, I had to put Mike Myers on this list. While I do think Donkey is a little more iconic, Mike Myers as Shrek is pretty much the same as butter and toast, or Oreos and milk, or popcorn and movies—you get my gist. Myers as Shrek is pretty much the standard for celebrities voicing animated characters, and he’s quite hard to beat. 

Dakota Fanning As Coraline (Coraline)

Coraline is one of the best stop-motion films out there, and surprisingly, no matter how creepy it might be to others, it’s a comfort film for me. And, of course, I can’t imagine anyone else voicing Coraline other than Dakota Fanning. She was so young at the time but still brought so much sass and wonder to the character, and it made me love Coraline for the explorer she was. 

Dan Castellaneta As Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)

Oh, you know he would be here. The Simpsons is hands down the most iconic TV series of all time and has been around since the 1980s. Dan Castellaneta has voiced the patriarch of the Simpsons family since the very beginning and has cemented himself in television just as much as the rest of the cast. But you can’t get more iconic than Homer freaking Simpson. 

Christy Carlson Romano As Kim Possible (Kim Possible)

Kim Possible was a show from my childhood on The Disney Channel that made me want to be a spy. It likely led to a few injuries when I jumped from trees to show how cool I was. Either way, it was mainly because of Kim and how kick-butt she was while also being a remarkable teenager, and thanks to Christy Carlson Romano’s voice acting, she was made all the better. 

Christian Bale As Howl (Howl’s Moving Castle)

Howl’s Moving Castle is one of my favourite Studio Ghibli movies, and I have to admit that for this, I do like the English dub better because, come on, you can’t beat Christian Bale as Howl! That man has a voice as smooth as butter, and you will find yourself falling for Howl so quickly because of how he voices the character. Ugh, I’m getting butterflies just thinking about it. 

Antonio Banderas As Puss (Shrek 2)

Shrek has plenty of iconic voices, but you want to know who has one of the best ones? Antonio Banderas didn’t even show up in the Shrek franchise until the second movie. But Banderas’ voice was so popular that he spawned not one but two spin-off films – the second of which featured one of the best DreamWorks Animation villains of all time, so you know he’s iconic. 

Jeff Bennett As Johnny Bravo (Johnny Bravo)

Okay, so, if we’re being honest, Johnny Bravo is actually a pretty lousy person and very misogynistic, but man, is it funny to get his butt handed to him in so many situations? It’s because of Jeff Bennett and the way he voices him. He’s just so funny in a messed-up way. I love it. 

Matthew Mercer As Levi Ackerman (Attack On Titan)

Attack on Titan is a case where I tend to lean more towards the English dub than the Japanese because of some of the voice-acting choices, and Matthew Mercer as Levi Ackerman is just *chef’s kiss.* Don’t get me wrong, the Japanese voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya does a great job, too, but when I think of Levi, I think of Matthew Mercer’s voice, and that just means I literally cannot imagine anything else.

Jack Black As Po (Kung Fu Panda)

Po the Panda is one of those characters that has become a pretty big name for DreamWorks Animation. In reality, it’s really just Jack Black behind a microphone in the sound booth voicing some of the most hilarious moments ever. Sometimes, it feels like I’m almost just watching Jack Black on screen because Po is as funny as him.

Helena Bonham Carter As Emily (The Corpse Bride)

The Corpse Bride is an excellent stop-motion animated film that certainly has a specific group of people who watch it every year (me included during Halloween). I could talk about Johnny Depp as Victor, but I have to point out Helene Bonham Carter as Emily. She voices the character so well and gives so much life to a literal corpse. It’s one of Carter’s best movies. 

Chris Rock As Marty (Madagascar)

Chris Rock as Marty makes sense. While there were only three Madagascar movies, Rock voiced the zebra in each of them and killed it every time. I could literally watch an entire spinoff film on just Marty. I want more, Marty. Please give me more hilarious lines like “Oh, sugar honey iced tea!”

Bill Fagerbakke As Patrick Star (SpongeBob SquarePants)

You can’t have SpongeBob without his best friend, and Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick Star is a match made in heaven. Since the show’s beginning, Fagerbakke has voiced the sea star, and he’s perfect for the role. Honestly, I almost want to watch him and Kenny voiceover the Super Bowl again next year because he as Patrick and them together is just perfect. 

Matthew Lillard As Shaggy (Scooby Doo)

There have been many voice actors who have come and gone to voice Shaggy, but let’s be honest here – Matthew Lillard has become Shaggy. Ever since he did the live-action version of Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo films, we’ve loved seeing him as Shaggy, and then he began doing the animated version. He’s been voicing the character (except for Velma, but we don’t talk about that), and he’s fantastic. 

Oscar Isaac As Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse)

Oh, Miguel. TikTok’s boyfriend of Summer 2023. The man, the myth, the legend that somehow captured my heart and reminded me that I have a thing for fictional brooding men. Either way, Oscar Isaac voices Miguel, and yes, this man is Miguel, and I will not accept any other person voicing him. 

Idina Menzel As Elsa (Frozen)

I had to put Elsa here somehow. Frozen is one of the biggest animated franchises of all time, and it’s mainly because of Elsa, her ice powers, and the incredible force of Idina Menzel’s voice. There isn’t another singer/actress on the planet that could belt like that.

While there are plenty of other animated characters we could discuss, these were just some of the first ones that came to mind—and now I feel like having an animated movie marathon. 

Stories about Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princesses have long been a Hollywood favorite. Sure, there are amazing fictional kings and queens like T’Challa in Black Panther and Abe Froman, the Sausage King of Chicago in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but this list is about the real ones. Historical depictions of some of the greatest, and worst, monarchs in world history. Kings like Henry VIII and Louis XIV. Queens like Elizabeth II and Victoria. Sure, the movies they appear in are not always the most historically accurate, but that doesn’t diminish the portrayals of royalty by these fine actors. 

Patrick McGoohan As King Edward I - Braveheart

Braveheart is far from the most historically accurate movie of all time, but one character that Mel Gibson and company at least got close to correct is Edward I, or Edward Longshanks, as he was known in the movie and at the time. He was a brutal, remorseless leader, and fought with the Scots for most of his reign. Patrick McGoohan’s performance of Edward is great, one of the real highlights of the movie. 

Judi Dench As Queen Elizabeth I - Shakespeare In Love

To be sure, Shakespeare In Love isn’t as loved today as it was when it was released in 1998. Its upset win for Best Picture at the 1999 Oscars over Saving Private Ryan is still questioned and the movie is often maligned unfairly. One reason it's unfair is Judi Dench’s fantastic performance as Queen Elizabeth I. 

Emily Blunt As Queen Victoria - The Young Victoria

Most of the images we see of Queen Victoria come from later her in her long reign, after Prince Albert died and the older queen was seen wearing black and looking dour. The Young Victoria is a fresh take, showing the queen, played by Emily Blunt, as young and vibrant. It wasn’t a huge hit in the United States, but it’s a really good movie, with a great performance by Blunt. 

Kenneth Branagh As King Henry V - Henry V

Kenneth Branagh has done more for Shakespeare in the modern age than anyone in Hollywood and the prime example is his portrayal of the titular king in Henry V. His delivery of the famous St. Crispin's Day speech is worth the price of admission alone. 

Colin Firth As King George VI - The King's Speech

Colin Firth’s performance and King George VI in The King’s Speech is as close to perfect as possible and well deserving of the Oscar he was awarded for it. Firth brilliantly plays both the reluctant king’s vulnerability and his strength. It’s a fine line to walk, as both are completely necessary to understand King George VI in full. 

Kirsten Dunst As Marie Antoinette - Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette is one of the most infamous royals of all time. The French queen is notorious in history for her aloof attitude towards the revolting French peasants during the French Revolution. The film Marie Antoinette starring Kirsten Dunst as the titular queen, did wow audiences at first, but has since become one of Sofia Coppola’s most respected films, and with good reason. It’s a very modern movie telling an old story and Dunst’s performance enhances that perfectly. 

Elizabeth Taylor As Cleopatra - Cleopatra

Elizabeth Taylor’s performance in Cleopatra is one of the most iconic in Hollywood history. Though it deserves some criticism from more enlightened modern audiences, it doesn’t diminish the performance. Taylor is amazing and only a star like her could carry a movie on the scale and scope of Cleopatra. It’s a true Hollywood epic from the Golden Age of Hollywood and Taylor is as glamorous as any actor could be. 

Timothée Chalamet As King Henry V - The King

It’s not easy for any actor to step into one of Shakespeare’s best characters like Henry V in Henry V. This is a character that Laurence Olivier played on the silver screen for goodness sake!  Timothée Chalamet took the risk and it paid off for the actor and audiences in The King. The movie is a new take on Shakespeare’s plays,  taken from his four plays about historical English kings, so the pressure was on. Chalamet kills it in the movie, playing the role quite differently as others have, but it works for the updated version. 

Cate Blanchett As Queen Elizabeth I - Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a wonderful movie, anchored by a wonderful performance by Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I. Blanchett returned for a sequel, Elizabeth: A Golden Age which was a less-than-wonderful movie, but Blanchett was once again great. The performances in both set a new standard for the historical figure who has been portrayed often on film. 

Janet Suzman As Tsarina Alexandra - Nicholas And Alexandra

One of the most pivotal moments of the 20th Century was the overthrow and execution of Tsar Nicolas of Russia and his family by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution. It’s a story that has rarely been told on film in the West, but Nicholas And Alexandra is the rare exception. It’s a good movie, with a great Oscar-nominated performance by Janet Suzman.

Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi As King Cetshwayo - Zulu

Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi is not a professional actor, and the great 1964 film Zulu is his only appearance. His role as King Cetshwayo is also not a large one, but he makes this list because one, he was an actual Zulu chief in South Africa, and two, he was the son of the man he plays. King Cetshwayo who led the Zulu Kingdom at the time of the war depicted in the movie, so while the part was not big, it’s important to have it on this list. 

Jonathan Rhys Meyers As King Henry VIII - The Tudors

One of the most popular depictions of royalty on screen in the last couple of decades has to be Jonathan Rhys Meyers As King Henry VIII in The Tudors. Meyers plays a young, dashing version of the king that most people know from his later portraits, looking less healthy than the king was as a young man. Henry VIII is one of the most notorious kings in English history and Meyers shows why, but also plays him as anti-hero we all kind of love. 

Helen Mirren As Queen Elizabeth II - The Queen

Helen Mirren's performance as Queen Elizabeth in the Queen is everything you would expect, as the The Dame plays the role with respect, but with with a toughness that the queen was known for behind closed doors. 

Sean Connery As King Richard - Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves

We couldn’t make this list without one of the most famous cameos of all time. It’s one of the shorter roles on the list, but Sean Connery’s surprise appearance as King Richard at the end of Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves shocked and delighted audiences. In real life, King Richard spent almost none of his time on the island of Great Britain, preferring to remain in Aquitaine in France, so it’s a bit of a stretch that he would be at a wedding in England, but no matter, he makes everyone smile. 

Trine Dyrholm As Queen Margrete - Margrete: Queen Of The North

Margaret I of Denmark is one of the most important monarchs in European history, to say nothing of her being a woman in power in the Middle Ages, which was very rare. Her story is well known in Scandinavia, but less known in the United States. That’s even more reason to watch the Danish movie Margrete: Queen Of The North, along with Trine Dyrholm’s performance of the queen. 

Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, and Imelda Staunton As Queen Elizabeth II - The Crown

How do you put only one of the three women who played Queen Elizabeth II on The Crown with such aplomb on this list? You can’t, so all three, Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, and Imelda Staunton all make it. Each one brought their own panache to the role of the now-legendary queen who we lost in 2022. Foy and Coleman both won Emmys for the role and Staunton was nominated in 2023. It’s three fantastic performances by three wonderful actresses. They even got to act together at the end. 

Nigel Hawthorne As King George III - The Madness Of King George

King George III is most famous in the United States for being the king we fought a revolution against. While he is considered one of the greatest kings in English history, he also had a severe undiagnosed mental illness that affected him later in life. It’s that part of his life that The Madness Of King George is about. It’s a hard role to play, but Nigel Hawthorne nails the role. 

Leonardo DiCaprio As King Louis XIV - The Man In The Iron Mask

There are surprisingly few portrayals of King Louis XIV of France in English-language cinema, despite the Sun King being one of the most consequential monarchs in European history. The most notable one is a fictionalized version of King Louis by Leonardo DiCaprio in The Man In The Iron Mask.

Vanessa Kirby, Helena Bonham Carter, and Lesley Manville As Princess Margaret - The Crown

One of the best achievements of The Crown (among many) was the show’s casting. The three actors who played Princess Margaret, Vanessa Kirby, Helena Bonham Carter, and Lesley Manville, all did an amazing job. You can’t pick one of the next because they all simply nailed the tragedy and triumph of the princess in the shadow of her older sister, Queen Elizabeth II. 

Olivia Coleman As Queen Anne - The Favourite

Olivia Coleman is great at playing royalty on screen, even when it’s a wildly fictionalized and weird version of Queen Anne like she does in The Favourite. The movie is very loosely based on history but is very much representative of director Yorgos Lanthimos’ style. So while Coleman may not be playing Queen Anne exactly as she was, it’s still a downright amazing performance. 

Natalie Dormer As Anne Boleyn - The Tudors

Natalie Dormer is perfectly cast as Anne Boleyn in The Tudors. She’s beautiful, yet vulnerable, coy, yet determined, and sweet, yet conniving. Boleyn is one of the most tragic queens in English history and it’s hard to picture anyone but Dormer playing her after she starred in this show. 

Richard Harris As King Arthur - Camelot

We could argue all day about how “real” King Arthur was. More myth than man in English folklore, there isn’t even consensus on whether he existed at all. But no matter, Richard Harris’ portrayal of the legend in Camelot is still worthy of mention on this list because it’s so darn good and so darn iconic. 

Oliver Dimsdale As King Edward VIII - Downton Abbey

In the finale of Season 4 of Downton Abbey, audiences meet Edward VIII when he is still Prince of Wales, before becoming king and before his abdication shocked the world. Though it’s not the biggest role, Oliver Dimsdale instantly gives you a sense of exactly who the future Duke of Windsor was, a conniving womanizer who really wasn't fit to be king. 

Katharine Hepburn As Eleanor Of Aquitaine - The Lion In Winter

It’s hard to understand why The Lion In Winter isn’t as remembered as other movies from the late ‘60s, because Katharine Hepburn's performance as Eleanor Of Aquitaine, the queen of England in the 12th Century, is amazing. She even took home an Oscar for it. 

Sean Bean as Odysseus - Troy

In the original theatrical version of Troy, Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, played by Sean Bean, doesn’t have all that big of a role. He’s a scene-stealer though. In the director’s cut, which makes for a much better movie, the role is expanded. Plus, it's a rare movie that Sean Bean doesn’t die in. 

Sigourney Weaver as Queen Isabella I - 1492: Conquest Of Paradise

There’s no way around this: 1492: Conquest Of Paradise is not a good movie. It’s historically inaccurate and celebrates Christopher Columbus a little too much while ignoring a lot of his atrocities. Still, Sigourney Weaver, while slightly miscast, does a phenomenal job with what she’s given to do as Queen Isabella I of Spain, Columbus’ benefactor. 

Tadanobu Asano As Genghis Khan - Mongol

If this was a list of the worst performances of royalty, John Wayne’s offensive and terrible version of Genghis Khan in The Conqueror would be at the top of the list. On the flip side, we have the Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano as the Mongolian king in Mongol. It’s not the most widely-known movie, as it’s a Russian production in Mandarin and Mongolian. It’s worth your time and effort to seek it out though, it’s fantastic. 

Judi Dench As Queen Victoria - Mrs. Brown

Is there a role out there that Dame Judi Dench doesn’t nail? That’s a rhetorical question, of course, and her performance as Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown is certainly no exception. Though the actual history in the movie is dubious at best, putting that aside and enjoying the movie is easy with Dench as the recently widowed queen. 

Gerard Butler As Leonidas - 300

Of all the movies in this movie that stretch the true stories to their max, 300 wins in that category. Still, Gerard Butler’s portrayal of Leonidas is a fan-favorite for good reason. Sure, it’s mostly because he looks so darn good, but the movie is fun, exciting, and completely unique, so we’ll allow for a little historical nonsense. 

Richard Harris As Marcus Aurelius - Gladiator

Another movie on this list that takes a lot of liberties with its historical accuracy, Gladiator basically changes everything about Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) and Commodus’ (Joaquin Phoenix) real-life father/son relationship. But both Phoenix and Harris are fantastic in their roles, so again, we’ll allow it. 

Peter O'Toole As Henry II - The Lion In Winter

The Lion in Winter has a few excellent portrayals of royalty. Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Timothy Dalton as King Philip of France, and Anthony Hopkins as a young Richard The Lionhearted. Of course, the lead in the film, Peter O’Toole as Henry II is the lead for a reason. In a career filled with amazing performances, this is one of O’Toole’s best and resulted in one of his eight Best Actor nominations. 

Chris Pine As Robert The Bruce - Outlaw King

Robert The Bruce has been portrayed in a few films, probably most famously by Angus Macfadyen in Braveheart. While that performance is great, Outlaw King, with Chris Pine in the lead role, is a more historically accurate version of the story of Robert fighting the English and rising to King of the Scots. 

Audiences have always been fascinated by the lives of monarchs worldwide, and that is not likely to change anytime soon. We’ll continue to see great portrayals of royalty in entertainment for a long time to come. 

Daisy Ridley knows a thing or two about joining a massive franchise and the pressures that come with it. She’s also a ginormous Harry Potter fan. So, when she was asked about the upcoming Harry Potter series at Max, she opened up about the challenges of making magic work twice and the hypothetical situation of playing Bellatrix Lestrange after seeing Helena Bonham Carter’s incredible performance as the evil witch.

While chatting about her love for the Harry Potter movies, and giving her compliments to the Harry Potter cast on Happy Sad Confused, the Star Wars star was asked if she’d want to play Bellatrix. Josh Horowitz had told her she was a bit too old for Hermione, and not old enough for McGonagall, but mentioned that she could potentially play Helena Bonham Carter’s iconic character. In response, the actress said:

She makes a great point. Some of Helena Bonham Carter’s best movies are the final few Harry Potter films. The actress is commanding as the Death Eater, and in some moments I’d say she’s just as scary as Voldemort. At the very least, she’s definitely more unhinged, and it’s marvelous.

Anyone who takes over this role will have some seriously big shoes to fill. However, I must admit that seeing Daisy Ridley take on the part would be amazing. We know her best as the hero Rey (who she's returning to play in an upcoming Star Wars project). So, it’d be so fun to see her stretch her range and go from a valiant Jedi to totally unhinged evil witch.

However, as the quote above illustrates, it sounds like she’s not putting herself out there for the role. Instead, she’d rather remain a fan, and see what happens with this reportedly “faithful” Harry Potter series. Continuing to talk about her enthusiasm for the Wizarding World, and her curiosity about the magical Max show that was announced in April, Ridley said:

While Harry Potter likely isn’t in her future, the Star Wars: The Force Awakens star did say that she wanted to do “a magic-y thing.” So, if there is anyone out there casting a fantastical magical movie, you should reach out to this actress. 

As a fellow fan of this franchise, I’m with Daisy Ridley. Taking on any role in this series would be incredibly difficult. The entire cast is beloved, and finding the right person to play iconic characters like this again seems like a nearly impossible task. 

However, it’s one Max has taken on. So, even though Daisy Ridley likely will not be playing Bellatrix in the new series, she’ll be excited to see who is. To go back and see Helena Bonham Carter’s masterful performance as the Death Eater, you can stream all eight Harry Potter movies with a Max subscription. To see what Daisy Ridley is up to at the moment, be sure to check out our 2024 movie schedule. 

Anyone who knows me knows I love Harry Potter. If you give me time, I'll rewatch all the Harry Potter movies. I'll tell you the best characters, arcs, and everything you could think of because I am just that much of a Potterhead. And as I've gotten older, I've realized that several Harry Potter characters from the movies and the books deserved far more screen time. Today, we'll be going over them. 

Luna Lovegood

First up on this list has to be Luna Lovegood, played by Evanna Lynch in the Harry Potter franchise. When she first appeared in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Luna captured viewers' hearts with her quirky nature, and she became a great friend to Harry. 

She was a great addition to the franchise and deserved far more screen time. Interestingly, Lynch was intimidated by her co-stars when she first joined the movies, but she became a great part of the ensemble. 

Neville Longbottom

Neville Longbottom, portrayed by Matthew Lewis, was what I would call the "nerd" of Hogwarts, as everyone picked on him from day one. However, in the books, a prophecy also revealed that he could have been a Chosen One, and at the end of both the books and the Harry Potter film franchise, he saved the day and killed Nagini. If you can believe it, as much of an impact he had, he didn't have that much screen time in the movies. 

Molly Weasley

Molly Weasley, played by Julie Walters, was the mother that everyone wanted in Harry Potter, and she was such an essential part of Harry's life in the book. I would have loved to see her character get played out way more, especially her last fight with Bellatrix Lestrange. Nothing can quite beat a mother's wrath. 

Sirius Black

Gary Oldman has been in some incredible movies, and I've always considered him a shapeshifter when it comes to his roles. Sirius Black is one of those where he perfectly portrays the character. But Black had a much more significant role in the Harry Potter books, making his unfortunate death much sadder. It would have been great to see him more with the Boy Who Lived in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Kingsley Shacklebolt

There aren't many ministry people from the Ministry of Magic that I wanted to see more since most of them were the worst people imaginable. But one individual that I did love was Kingsley Shacklebolt, played by George Harris. While he had minimal screen time, the auror left a lasting impression on the Harry Potter fandom, and he was a great addition. I wish we had just one more scene of him. 

Fleur Delacour

I never thought I would want to see Fleur Delacour more, but when she married into the Weasley family, I was dying to see how that happened. We know that she winds up marrying Bill Weasley, and their story is explained far better in the books, but it happens out of nowhere in the movies. I wish we had seen more of that – honestly, I just wish we had more of the Weasley family. 

It's nice to know that the actress who played Fleur, Clémence Poésy, has been successful since then, with a recent stint in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon cast, but I really wanted to see more of her in these movies. 

Kreacher  

The house elves of Harry Potter in the films were downgraded so much it's sad. Kreacher, the house elf for 12 Grimmauld Place, the Black's home, was an essential part of the Harry Potter novels, but he was relegated to a barely memorable side character in the movie. Just sad. 

Bellatrix Lestrange 

Bellatrix Lestrange in the movies was one of those memorable characters on her own, almost more than Voldemort. Helena Bonham Carter has done some great films, but her portrayal of Bellatrix will always be my favorite because she can somehow show how insane this character is. 

However, Bellatrix was way worse in the books, and I would have loved to see her unhinged-ness way more. 

Fred And George Weasley

It may initially seem shocking for me to request Fred and George, of all people, to have more screen time, but like many others on this list, they were much more significant in the novels. The Harry Potter movies forgot that Harry gave the twins all his winnings from the Triwizard Tournament. Instead, they randomly started a joke shop without any explanation in the sixth film. I would have loved to see them more. 

Dobby 

Plenty of characters in Harry Potter were given a decent amount of screen time but were relegated to more minor characters. Dobby was one of those, where he did have significant roles in two of the films, specifically Chamber of Secrets, but he had a much more substantial part in the books – especially in the fourth. 

Peeves 

Peeves, a poltergeist who played tricks on the Hogwarts students, was one of the most prominent side characters of the novels, and yet he never made it into the movie. There is a reason why he wasn’t there, so you should check that out, but it would have been great to see him in the movies. 

Teddy 

The seventh movie glossed over something else: Remus and Tonks, who were revealed as a couple. In the books, this is a much bigger deal – and aside from that, they have a son named Teddy, who winds up becoming an orphan after the Battle of Hogwarts. 

Colin Creevey 

Colin Creevey is one of those characters we have only seen once in the whole franchise, maybe twice, when he was a more significant part of the books. While he wasn't the most fun character, he had his moments of aid towards the Golden Trio in the novels. However, in the movies, he felt like a background character that was never mentioned aside from his part in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. 

Draco Malfoy 

I know Draco Malfoy did have a decent amount of screen time in the movies, and considering Tom Felton is the biggest fan of the Wizarding World, everyone knows it. But Malfoy is another case where he played a far more prominent role in the books than in the movies. You almost feel bad for Malfoy in the novels because you get a deeper look into his psyche. 

Tom Felton has done some great movies and shows since the franchise ended. Still, I think Harry Potter is his most outstanding achievement – and he certainly shows it whenever he visits Radcliffe's star in L.A., showing his support for his friends and former castmates.

Cedric Diggory 

Cedric is another example of a significant character who was played down. While he is killed in Goblet of Fire, Diggory feels more fleshed out in the books, and he could have been played up more for the film as Harry's competitor and ally in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Also, Robert Pattinson's portrayal of him was fantastic in the pre-Twilight movies era. It's one of Pattinson's best movies, and I stand by that. 

Winky 

Do you know who Winky is? No? You're not alone because no one who just watched the movies does. Winky was a house elf in the fourth novel that Hermione fought to give proper rights to, and that plotline was completely cut. I'm not sure why, considering I recall it being decently big, but I would have liked a cameo. 

Ginny Weasley 

Ginny is another example where she got a decent amount of screen time, but I probably would have liked her character if she had been given more. Ginny, in the books, is great, but I'm not a massive fan of her character in the movies. Even Bonnie Wright, the actress behind Ginny, said the character was "disappointing." We could have done so much more. 

Remus Lupin 

Remus Lupin was my favorite professor at Hogwarts, and David Thewlis was the best person to play him, but did you know that Lupin had a much more significant role in the books than in the movies? He was a huge part of Harry's life, and we saw his interactions with Sirius, a former friend, far more often. I would have given anything to see more of his character – and maybe even more on the Marauders since he was one of them. 

Blaise Zabini

Blaise is one of those characters in the movies where it’s a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment, but as someone who actually liked seeing the other students of Hogwarts besides the Golden Trio, Blaise was one of them. He seemed so calm and collected in comparison to Malfoy’s other Slytherin friends, and I think he would have been a great addition to the main group of students that we get to know. 

Professor McGonagall 

Not only is Dame Maggie Smith an absolute delight, but Professor Minerva McGonagall was the teacher we all wanted and needed, and she did everything in her power to protect her students. It would have been awesome to see more, especially since she plays such an essential role down the line in the books. 

Narcissa Malfoy 

This is the first example where I think Narcissa Malfoy, played by the incredible Helen McCrory in the films, wasn't seen as much in the novels either. But God, I would have given anything to see more of her in the movies after she saved Harry from Voldemort by saying he was dead when he wasn't. You can count it up to a mother's love, but ugh, such a great moment from a great character that, in the end, didn't get much screen time. 

Lucius Malfoy 

Lucius Malfoy reminds me a lot of his son Draco in a way that people remember him plenty from the movies, but the books dove a little deeper into his character. And if we were given more time with the Malfoys in general, I think we could have been given a much better understanding of why they do what they do, especially Lucius. Plus, Jason Isaacs is always a win. 

Charlie Weasley 

Do you love the dragons in House of the Dragon? We could have had that in the Harry Potter movies too if Charlie Weasley was even used. The second eldest Weasley brother didn't even show up once in the franchise and guess what – he was a dragon tamer. We could have gotten so many more dragons if we saw him. 

Nymphadora Tonks 

Tonks, a metamorphmagus and member of the Order of the Phoenix, is another excellent example of someone who was underused in the movies. We saw her for the first time in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and then she only appeared again in the seventh film, but we hear a lot more about her in the novels. She was great and had such a fun personality, and I would have loved seeing her more. 

Mad-Eye Moody  

Mad-Eye Moody was one of the best adults in this series because he was just so unhinged. While it wasn't really him in the fourth movie, Brendan Gleeson played the character so well, and then sadly we only see the real version of the auror a few other times, which is frustrating. He's such a great character, and he played such a big part, and movie lovers barely got to know who he was before he was killed off. So sad. 

Cho Chang 

Cho Chang is one of those characters you don't know how to feel about because other than her betrayal of Dumbledore's Army in the fifth film, she's pretty forgettable. The sad part is that she played a much more significant role in Harry's life in the books, but she wasn't in the films as much, aside from a measly love interest that vanishes as soon as it comes. 

Chang paved the way for Harry to wind up with Ginny down the line in the books, but since we don't get as much romance in the movies as we did in the novels, it almost feels forced. We could have been given so much more. 

Dean  

There were plenty of fun Gryffindors that people didn't get to see that much, and one was Dean, a friend of Harry, who had a more prominent role in the books, but we barely saw him that much in the movies. 

Seamus  

We saw Seamus a little more than Dean in the movies, namely when things were exploding in his face, but I can't get over how he appeared way more in the books. And you could believe that he and Harry were friends aside from the few times we saw them together in the movies. 

Rodolphus Lestrange 

Did you know that Bellatrix had a husband in the Harry Potter novels? His name was Rodolphus Lestrange, and they escaped Azkaban together. But he was cut out entirely from the movies. While I would have loved to see him in the films, a part of me is happy because it lets Bellatrix shine. Even so, that interaction would have been fun to see. 

Marietta Edgecombe 

Cho Chang wasn't even the person who revealed the location of Dumbledore's Army in the books. That, my friends, was Mariette Edgecombe, a character that did exactly that but was cut out from the movies because, well, for the drama, I suppose. We could have been given an accurate portrayal of Cho, but nope, she had to be the betrayer. 

Professor Binns 

Few professors were left out of the Harry Potter novels, and one of them was undoubtedly Professor Binns, the history professor of Hogwarts. Would it have been cool to see another ghost? Of course. And not only that, his classes usually offered some pretty funny moments in the books.

Crookshanks

Crookshanks is one of those characters that is way smarter than you would believe. That cat never trusted Scabbers and always chased him. That rat wound up being Peter Pettigrew, so who knows what else this cat could have hunted down. We don't know what happened to the cat after the fifth film, so hopefully, she's just living her life now. I would have loved to see more. 

We were deprived of so many great Harry Potter characters from the movies. The new Harry Potter adaptation is coming to Max, so maybe we'll get to see more of them or see them have more screen time, but until then, a girl can dream. 

When it comes to actresses who have made their way in the world through generations, the first person I tend to think of is Helena Bonham Carter. The actress has been working for several decades, starting to gain recognition in the 1980s before becoming a star throughout the '90s and 2000s, and now everyone knows who she is because of her amazing projects.

From her time in Tim Burton movies to some of her fantastic roles in television, Carter has gone on to show just how talented she is – and today, we're going to get into her best film and TV projects so far. 

A Room With A View (1985)

First up on this list is A Room with a View, directed by James Ivory. The film is based on the novel A Room with a View, and it follows the same premise of a young woman named Lucy Honeychurch and the love she develops for a young man named George Emerson, the complete opposite of the strict Edwardian England culture she lives in. 

The film received critical praise and received eight nominations at the Academy Awards. It started to put Bonham Carter on the map as a brilliant actress. The movie also features several other prominent actors, such as Dame Maggie Smith and Denholm Elliott. 

Stream A Room with a View on Max.
Rent/Buy A Room with a View on Amazon.

Alice In Wonderland (2010)

Bonham Carter has been in several of Tim Burton's films, but we'll only go over the best today, and the first has to be Alice in Wonderland. Released in 2011, it was the first on Disney's modern quest to remake their classic animated films into live-action. The film follows Alice as she falls through the rabbit hole to Wonderland, helping the White Queen fight against the Red Queen to restore her proper place on the throne. 

When I think of the best live-action Disney villains, few really stand out, but her version of the Red Queen is one that does. The actress has a knack for playing unhinged characters. She's able to fully show off their rage and anger while also making them entertaining for viewers, and that's exactly what the Red Queen is. 

Stream Alice in Wonderland on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Alice in Wonderland on Amazon.

Lady Jane (1986)

Lady Jane is another romance film directed by Trevor Nunn. It tells the story of Lady Jane Grey and her forced marriage to Lord Guildford Dudley and the consequences that follow when she is named heir to the throne. 

While you always have to take films like this with a grain of salt because it's still a movie and things are done up for dramatic purposes, there's a lot to love, mainly Bonham Carter's performance. When given a period piece, she runs with it and makes it one of her best performances so far. 

Rent/Buy Lady Jane on Amazon.

Burton & Taylor (2013)

While this is a TV film, it's still amazing. Burton & Taylor stars Bonham Carter as Elizabeth Taylor and Dominic West as Richard Burton, and it details the story of their entertainment partnership despite their numerous attempts to revive their marriage in the past. 

When I think of some of the best acting work that this actress has done, this is one of the first projects that comes to mind. Not only does she fully embrace who she is as Elizabeth Taylor in this role, but she and Dominic West have incredible chemistry. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance. 

Rent/Buy Burton & Taylor on Amazon.

Fight Club (1999)

The first rule about Fight Club is that you don't talk about it – whoops, I guess we're going to break that rule today, sorry. 

Fight Club, directed by David Fincher, tells the story of two men who form a "fight club," while the main character becomes tangled in a relationship with a woman who turns his life upside down. 

There are so many incredible behind-the-scenes facts about Fight Club, but I focus on the superb acting I see portrayed in it, and honestly, Bonham Carter is one of the best. Her performance in this classic is so much fun, and she fully embodies Marla's role from the moment we meet her. 

I recently watched all of the David Fincher movies in 2023, and her performance was one of my favorites out of everyone in every film. She's so good. 

Rent/Buy Fight Club on Amazon.

The Wings Of The Dove (1997)

Another romance film, The Wings of the Dove, was nominated for four Academy Awards and tells the story of Kate Croy, a woman who is penniless and watched over by her wealthy aunt who plans to marry her off to a rich man. But Kate is also in love with another, which turns her world upside down. 

Helena Bonham Carter was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in the movie, which garnered plenty of praise elsewhere as well. It's undoubtedly one of her best acting performances – she knows how to play romance well.

Stream The Wings of the Dove on Pluto TV.
Rent/Buy The Wings of the Dove on Amazon.

Howards End (1992) 

Directed by James Ivory (yet again on this list), Howards End is a period romantic drama that follows the lives of the Schlegel sisters in Britain when they entered the 20th century and the changes they went through regarding class.

This is another movie that ended up getting significant accolades, including nine nominations at the Academy Awards. Bonham Carter performs excellently as Helen Schlegel, and her scenes with Emma Thompson are absolute gold.

Rent/Buy Howards End on Apple TV+. 

Merlin (1998)

Merlin is a miniseries based on the tales of Merlin, the wizard of the same name, from the accounts of Camelot. It expands significantly on the story of Merlin and his journey to become the legend that he became before King Arthur was even born. 

Bonham Carter portrays Morgan le Fay, a character from the tales of King Arthur and a legendary enchantress, and she does so well. I almost look at it as a practice run for when she really started to dive into fantasy roles later on in her career with projects like Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland.

Stream Merlin on Tubi.

The Crown (2019 – 2020)

There are some fantastic shows to binge-watch on Netflix, and The Crown is one of them.

Taking place over several decades, The Crown details the life of Queen Elizabeth II, from her rise to the crown after her father died to her later years. The Crown documents some of Bonham Carter's best work, where she portrayed Princess Margaret in Seasons 3 and 4. 

The actress scored several accolades for her performance, including many nominations and wins. While I knew she had to go in Season 5 (because it springs forward many years), I will always love her performance, specifically because I felt she and Olivia Colman, who played the queen, had such brilliant chemistry. 

Stream The Crown on Netflix.

The King's Speech (2010) 

The King's Speech is a Best Picture-winning film directed by Tom Hooper. It tells the story of King George VI and his partnership with his speech and language therapist as he tries to overcome his stammer before giving his first wartime radio broadcast in 1939. 

Helena Bonham Carter played Queen Elizabeth, the wife of King George VI (not to be confused with her daughter, Elizabeth II). For her role in the movie, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards. 

Stream The King's Speech on Amazon Prime.
Rent/Buy The King's Speech on Amazon.

The Harry Potter Films (2007 - 2011)

One of Bonham Carter's most known roles is Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter franchise. Considered one of the best fantasy movie series ever, Harry Potter tells the story of the boy who lived, Harry Potter, who survived a killing curse years ago, and his quest to take down Lord Voldemort with his friends. 

Helena Bonham Carter is Bellatrix Lestrange. From Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when she's introduced, on, she's the best. There is not another person on this planet I could ever imagine playing the role of Voldemort's unhinged right-hand woman as well. She takes over the character entirely, and you're almost scared she truly is that dark wizard she is portraying. 

Stream the Harry Potter films on Max.
Rent/Buy the Harry Potter films on Amazon.

Cinderella (2015)

Another one of Disney's best live-action films, Cinderella is the retelling of the classic story of Ella, a young woman who is forced to work under her step-sisters and evil stepmother before the prince discovers her and falls in love. 

Bonham Carter's role in Cinderella is smaller, but boy, is she memorable. Her as the Fairy Godmother was everything you could ever need – and to be honest, it was a nice change to see her as a colorful, magical person compared to many of her darker roles. 

Stream Cinderella on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Cinderella on Amazon.

Corpse Bride (2005)

Corpse Bride, one of the best stop-motion films ever, is about how a man unknowingly marries a corpse bride while practicing his wedding vows in the forest. Now, the bride is confused when he does not want to stay with her forever. 

Corpse Bride is another Tim Burton film I hold dear, and Bonham Carter voices Emily the Corpse Bride. Somehow, she brings so much life to this dead character. I love her so much. 

Rent/Buy Corpse Bride on Amazon.

Les Misérables (2013)

Last, but not least, is Les Misérables. The movie, which was released in 2013, is the adaptation of the stage musical of the same name, following several people during the June Rebellion in Paris. It begins with one man – Jean Valjean, and his journey to start anew after he is given a second chance at life. 

Bonham Carter portrays Madame Thénardier, and while I have recently watched Les Misérables and my opinion on it has changed, I still love her in this role. As I said, she is so good at fully becoming someone when she takes on a part, and her as Thénardier proves this point. The entire Les Misérables cast is incredible, but she is one of the best (and funniest). 

Rent/Buy Les Misérables on Amazon.

Honestly, there isn't another person like Helena Bonham Carter, and it won't be long before we see more of her iconic roles hit the big screen. Now I'll rewatch the Harry Potter movies again to see her be awesome. 

Do you like Tim Burton? Because I do – and apparently so do these actors. 

It's common for an actor who enjoys working with a particular director to frequently collaborate with them on movies. I could name a ton off the top of my head that I have seen appear in multiple films. There have been plenty of actors who have been in many Christopher Nolan movies. Others have appeared frequently in Wes Anderson films. Today, we will talk about the actors who have appeared in the most Tim Burton movies. 

I'll be upfront and say that most of these actors are from movies I saw as a child and grew to love even more over time, so their characters are some of my favorites ever. There are so many that I could point out that I truly loved so much, from Lydia in Beetlejuice to Johnny Depp’s starring role in Edward Scissohands and so much more. 

When I saw just how often they collaborated with Tim Burton, I was surprised. Here are the actors who've been in the most Tim Burton movies. 

Johnny Depp – 8 Movies 

First up on this list is, unsurprisingly, Johnny Depp. Out of everyone, Depp has appeared in the most films, with eight on his resume.

His movies include Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (which I just rewatched for the first time in years), Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows. 

Many of these characters have become synonymous with Depp's name, especially the titular character of Edward Scissorhands and the candy mogul from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Both of which hold a significant place in my heart. 

Helena Bonham Carter – 7 Movies

Helena Bonham Carter is only one movie behind Depp in her appearances in Tim Burton films, with seven to her name. Hers include Planet of the Apes, Big Fish, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Alice in Wonderland, and Dark Shadows. She was also a part of the Charlie and Chocolate Factory cast and was one of the leads of the excellent stop-motion movie Corpse Bride. 

Carter was married to Tim Burton for several years, which might explain her frequent collaboration with the director. I will never forget her as the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland. It's genuinely one of the best fun adaptations out there. 

Christopher Lee – 5 Movies 

Next up on this list is Christopher Lee, who has appeared in five Tim Burton movies. These include Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Alice in Wonderland, and Dark Shadows. 

Unfortunately, Lee passed away in 2015, so we won't see him in any future projects of Burton's, but he truly stood out in those roles. 

Michael Keaton – 5 Movies

Keaton is another big name from Tim Burton's movies, and he's appeared in four so far, with one planned for the future. Keaton is primarily known for his role as the titular character of Beetlejuice, a film that I honestly can't believe I was allowed to watch as a child. 

Besides that, Keaton appeared in three other films, including Dumbo, Batman and Batman Returns. His fifth Burton film will be Beetlejuice 2, where he is reprising the same role.

Michael Gough – 5 Movies

Next up on this list is Michael Gough, who has also appeared in five movies that Tim Burton has directed. These include Batman, Batman Returns, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Alice in Wonderland. 

His best-known role from these movies is likely Alfred Pennyworth in the Batman films. Michael Gough passed away in March 2011, but his parts were always the best. I doubt I'm alone thinking no one can quite beat his Alfred. 

Lisa Marie – 4 Movies

So now we move onto the part of the list where these following four actors have all been in four movies (or will appear in an upcoming film). 

The first is Lisa Marie, who has appeared in four Tim Burton films. These include Ed Wood, Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow and Planet of the Apes, all released one year after another. Marie was also a partner of Burton's for a time, which could explain why she frequently collaborated with the director. Her most known role from Burton's films is most likely portraying Lady Crane in Sleepy Hollow.

Danny DeVito – 4 Movies 

Danny DeVito has been in four Tim Burton films. Most people probably know the actor from his time portraying The Penguin in Batman Returns, but DeVito was also in the movies Mars Attacks!, Big Fish and Dumbo. 

DeVito feels like the perfect pick for a Tim Burton movie because not only does the actor have plenty to watch if you like him, but he has played some weird characters too, which is perfect for Burton's aesthetic. Just watch him in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia – you won't be able to view DeVito the same ever again after seeing him as the native Philadelphian Frank Reynolds. 

Deep Roy – 4 Movies

Moving on, we look at Deep Roy, who also appeared in four movies of Burton's. These include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Planet of the Apes, Big Fish and Corpse Bride. 

You probably remember Roy the most for his portrayal of the Oompa Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which no one would ever forget. The actor was a great addition to that strange, but entertaining movie. 

Winona Ryder – 4 Movies

Last, but most certainly not least, we have Winona Ryder. One of Ryder's first big films was Beetlejuice, a movie that shot her into stardom for portraying Lydia. Not long after that, she went on to co-star with Depp in Edward Scissorhands, a film that led to those two co-stars dating later on. 

Ryder also held a voice role in Frankenweenie, another stop-motion movie directed by Burton. She's next set to appear in Beetlejuice 2 as her fourth Burton collaboration, where she will reprise her iconic role as Lydia – and Jenna Ortega is going to play her daughter.

With so many talented actors and actresses, it's not surprising that they have appeared in all these Tim Burton movies – and honestly, it just makes me want to go and binge of all of these. Wish me luck!

The Les Misérables cast is full of talent – and they've done a lot since the film was released more than ten years ago. 

I have been obsessed with movie musicals for as long as I can remember. I love to rewatch Mamma Mia!, check out the hit movie Chicago, and even dance around my room while rewatching Hairspray. No matter the movie musical, I love to rewatch it. Les Misérables was a movie musical that I loved for some time as a child. I recently decided to rewatch it, and my opinion of the film has changed significantly because my knowledge of the original musical has grown. But you want to know what has stayed the same? The love I have for the Les Misérables cast. 

I'm not sure what Tom Hooper did to get an ensemble cast of this talent, but the Les Misérables cast is one of the most star-studded ensemble movie musicals I have seen in a long time. From Hugh Jackman to Russell Crowe to Anne Hathaway, there are plenty of cast members here that we have seen in massive movies, major TV shows and incredible stage productions. 

If you're wondering where the Les Misérables cast is more than a decade after the film premiered, here is what they've been up to. 

Hugh Jackman (Jean Valjean)

First up on this list is the star of Les Misérables, Hugh Jackman. He portrayed Jean Valjean, and while I don't personally agree with making him the lead character, his acting was great in the film. He ended up scoring an Academy Award nomination for it. Jackman has always participated in theatre and musicals, so his being in Les Misérables makes sense. 

Jackman continued to further his musical talents after his role in the movie. Not only did he host the 2014 Tony Awards, where he put on an impressive opening performance featuring several big Broadway stars, but he also starred in the smash hit musical The Greatest Showman (which truthfully needs a sequel). He was also the star of the Broadway revival of The Music Man in 2022. 

Aside from that, Jackman has appeared in many movies since his role in Les Misérables. He closed out his time as Wolverine in the X-Men movie franchise, but he will reprise the role one last time in the upcoming Deadpool 3, which paused filming due to the 2023 Writer's Strike. 

Jackman also appeared in films such as The Front Runner, Bad Education, Prisoners, The Son and was the star of the Reminiscence cast in 2021. He also had a recurring voice role on the hit Netflix show Human Resources and a recurring role on Hulu's Koala Man. He'll be in a new film called Apostle Paul and a new miniseries called Faraway Downs next.

Russell Crowe (Javert)

Russell Crowe portrayed Javert in Les Misérables, and I will openly admit that I did not care that much for his casting, as most people didn't. Crowe isn't necessarily known for his singing ability. However, the actor is incredibly talented, and he's been in plenty of movies since then. 

His most prominent movies include The Nice Guys, The Mummy, Unhinged, Noah (where he starred as the titular character), Poker Face, and The Greatest Beer Run Ever. He also portrayed Zeus in Thor: Love and Thunder, and he was a part of the 2023 horror film The Pope's Exorcist. Crowe has also had a voice role on Ark: The Animated Series. 

Crowe has plenty coming up in the next few years regarding new projects. He will be a part of the Kraven the Hunter cast, and he is set to appear in movies such as The Georgetown Project, A Taste for Blood, Sleeping Dogs, Rothko, and more. 

Anne Hathaway (Fantine)

The Les Misérables cast is incredible, but no one surpassed Anne Hathaway, who played Fantine in the film. The actress won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role, and she has gone on to star in some pretty incredible projects since then. We've even ranked her best films.

My personal favorite performance of hers was when she had a co-starring role in Interstellar, one of Christopher Nolan's best films I watched in 2023. Aside from that, Hathaway has appeared in movies like The Intern, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Ocean's 8, Locked Down, The Witches, She Came to Me, Eileen, and more. 

The actress also held a role on the Amazon Prime TV show Modern Love for two episodes. Hathaway will star in Mother's Instinct and several other movies like The Idea Of You, Mother Mary, The Lifeboat, and Bum's Rush in the coming years.

Amanda Seyfried (Cosette)

I've always loved Amanda Seyfried in any musical role, and her as Cosette was the perfect pick. Les Misérables showed the full capability of her musical talent. And ever since then, Amanda Seyfried has starred in some great films. 

She was in the sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, and she also starred in other movies such as The Big Wedding, Epic, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Gringo, Ted 2, Pan, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Scoob!, Things Heard and Seen, and A Mouthful of Air. 

Seyfried has also expanded her talent into television. She had a leading performance in The Dropout cast on Hulu, one that earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination. She also had a lead role in Apple TV+'s The Crowded Room, and she was on four episodes of Twin Peaks. 

Seyfried will appear in a new movie called My Ex-Friend's Wedding next, so be sure to check that out. 

Eddie Redmayne (Marius Pontmercy)

Marius Pontmercy was the love interest of Cosette and one of the fighters of the rebellion in Les Misérables, and Eddie Redmayne portrayed him. This was the first time I had ever seen Redmayne, so his performance in this movie holds a special place in my heart. 

A year later, Redmayne won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Theory of Everything, where he played Stephen Hawking. Aside from that, Redmayne has also gained a lot of notoriety for his role as Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts franchise in the world of Harry Potter. 

Aside from this, Redmayne has appeared in several other movies, including The Danish Girl, The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Aeronauts, The Good Nurse, and Early Man. Up next, he will be starring in a new TV series called The Day of the Jackal. 

Helena Bonham Carter (Madame Thénardier)

Helena Bonham Carter is arguably one of my favorite actresses, and her role as Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables is iconic in the best way possible. Ever since then, the actress has appeared in a variety of movies. 

My choice for her best film post-Les Mis is the live-action Cinderella, where she played the Fairy Godmother. She also appeared in the Enola Holmes movies on Netflix, One Love, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Ocean's 8, Suffragette, and The Lone Ranger. 

Carter also starred as Princess Margaret for two seasons on the hit Netflix series The Crown, and she had roles in Love, Nina, and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (the latter of which was canceled). She appeared in a British miniseries as well, titled Nolly. She will be in two new films, The Offing and Four Letters of Love, and she will also appear in a TV series about David Copperfield. 

Sacha Baron Cohen (Monsieur Thénardier)

I cannot think of a better actor to play Monsieur Thénardier in Les Misérables, especially opposite Helena Bonham Carter, than Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen has appeared in movies since Les Misérables, including Alice Through the Looking Glass and The Trial of the Chicago 7, and he held a voice role in the emotional Pixar film Luca. 

Cohen especially made waves when he released Borat Subsequent Moviefilm in 2020, a sequel to his hit movie Borat. The film received excellent reviews, and it earned a few Academy Award nominations. 

He also created, wrote, and starred in Who Is America? and was in six episodes of The Spy series. Cohen will be in a new miniseries called Disclaimer and two new movies called Mandrake the Magician and Super Toys.

Samantha Barks (Éponine)

Samantha Barks played Éponine in Les Misérables, a known stage veteran who portrayed the same character in the stage production years before the movie. Since then, the actress has appeared in films, including The Christmas Candle, Bitter Harvest, Interlude for Prague, and Tomorrow Morning. She also had a guest role on the TV show Bear Grylls: Mission Survive. 

Barks has mainly stuck to theatre since her role in the movie, appearing in various stage plays and musicals, including Chicago, Chess, Frozen, The Last Five Years, Amelie, City of Angels, Honeymoon in Vegas, and Pretty Woman: The Musical. 

Aaron Tveit (Enjolras)

Enjolras wasn't as big of a star as Marius, but he certainly made an impact in Les Misérables, and Aaron Tveit is the reason for that. The actor has appeared in a few films, including Big Sky, Better Of Single, Out of Blue, and Created Equal, but has mainly stuck to television. 

He was a part of Graceland and BrainDead, he also was part of the stacked Schimigadoon! main cast. He had several recurring and guest roles on shows such as The Good Fight, The Code, and American Horror Stories too. Tveit has also stuck to theatre, appearing in productions like Company, Assassins, and most recently, Moulin Rouge!, for which he won a Tony Award for. 

Daniel Huttlestone (Gavroche)

Lastly, we have Daniel Huttlestone, who played Gavroche in Les Misérables. While the character is essential, Huttlestone hasn't done much acting since then. He appeared in Into the Woods in a prominent part, and then he appeared in the films Friday Download, London Town, and The Lost City of Z, but has since stopped acting. 

There are so many talented stars on this list that I need to catch up on, and now I feel I need to do some movie marathons to celebrate all their incredible films. Does anyone else feel up to the challenge of watching Mamma Mia! over and over again with me? 

Certain once-a-generation films come out that make an imprint on your mind while also possibly leaving a sweet and sugary taste in your mouth. For me, 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory counts among those, thanks in part to the incredibly memorable cast, as led by Johnny Depp in one of his most performative roles.

Plenty of movies within the fantasy realm have been released since Tim Burton's take on Roald Dahl's 1964 book, such as the back half of the Harry Potter franchise and the expensive The Hobbit films. But for some reason, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been a prominent mainstay in my mind because of its talented cast that surrounded Depp's Willy Wonka. While that actor was at the heights of his Hollywood stardom, many other stars had yet to break out. So let's take a look at the full cast and where they are now.

Johnny Depp (Willy Wonka)

First up on this list is Johnny Depp, who portrayed Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The actor is known to play many eccentric characters, and his part in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was arguably one of Depp's greatest roles. 

Depp continued working with Tim Burton after Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, having already worked with him on several other films. These include Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Dark Shadows, the Alice in Wonderland movies, and The Lone Ranger. 

He later appeared in movies such as The Rum Diary, Murder on the Orient Express, and Rango, and finished out the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise at Disney – although there are talks of a "weird" script for a sixth film. He also appeared as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise for two films before he was replaced. 

He'll hopefully have the American release of his new movie Jeanne du Barry, but we're still determining when that'll come out. Depp did have a lot of legal trouble in 2022 with his trial against ex-wife Amber Heard. That trial has ended – and there's even a miniseries called Depp v. Heard on Netflix now. 

Freddie Highmore (Charlie Bucket)

Freddie Highmore played Charlie Bucket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You probably know him the most from his leading role on The Good Doctor, which had an exciting 100th episode in 2022. But Highmore has also had leading roles in Bates Motel and Leonardo. 

In movies, he appeared in The Spiderwick Chronicles, Astro Boy, The Art of Getting By, A Good Year, The Vault, Almost Friend, The Journey, and more. 

David Kelly (Grandpa Joe)

David Kelly portrayed Grandpa Joe in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie's companion ad grandfather, who was a memorable face from the film. Since the movie, he appeared in projects such as Stardust, The Kovak Box, and Who's Your Caddy?, but he sadly passed away in 2012. 

Deep Roy (Oompa-Loompas)

No one can entirely forget the Oompa-Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and every one of them was played by Deep Roy. Since then, the actor has appeared in films such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Star Trek movies, and Paranormal Movie. He also appeared in the TV shows Eastbound and Down. 

AnnaSophia Robb (Violet Beauregarde)

AnnaSophia Robb played Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and she's since had a pretty big career blowup. She appeared in films such as Bridge to Terabithia, Soul Surfer, Spy School, The Reaping, The Way, Way, Back, Down a Dark Hall, and more. 

She also held a starring role in The Carrie Diaries and had several other parts on TV, including Little Fires Everywhere, Mercy Street, and Dr. Death, and had a role in one of Hulu's best shows, The Act. Coming up, she'll be in a new film called Rebel Ridge. 

Missi Pyle (Mrs. Beauregarde)

Missi Pyle played Mrs. Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and she's also done plenty of work in both movies and TV. 

She's appeared in films such as Kiss Me Gone Girl, Uncle Nick, A Haunted House 2, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Ma, and more. 

She also had roles on shows such as the raunchy Two and a Half-Men (which I watched for the first time), Jennifer Falls, Mom and The Sarah Silverman Show. Coming up, she'll be in a movie called Empire Waist.

Julia Winter (Veruca Salt)

Veruca Salt was portrayed by Julia Winter in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. While Veruca was a memorable character, Julia Winter didn't continue acting for very long after the film, only appearing in Dolphin Tale 2. 

James Fox (Mr. Salt)

James Fox portrayed Mr. Salt, Veruca's father, in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and he's been in a few movies since then, such as The Double, Effie Gray, Sherlock Holmes, Mister Lonely, and more. He also had a recurring role in Utopia and parts in Death in Paradise and 1864. 

Jordan Fry (Mike Teavee)

It's hard to forget Mike Teavee, and Jordan Fry played him in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Fry has appeared in a few movies since then, including the CG Disney movie Meet the Robinsons, Raising Flag, Gone, Big Life, and The Journey. 

Adam Godley (Mr. Teavee)

In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Adam Godley played Mr. Teavee, Mike's father. Since then, he's appeared in various movies, including Nanny McPhee, Son of Rainbow, The BFG, The People We Hate At The Wedding, The Theory of Everything, and more.

Godley has mainly had a good run on television. He had a significant role on The Great on Hulu (which was sadly canceled after three seasons). He appeared on shows such as Breaking Bad, The Doctor's Notebook, Spies of Warsaw, Lodge 49, and The Umbrella Academy, among others. 

Philip Wiegratz (Augustus Gloop)

Next up on the list is Philip Wiegratz, who played Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Wiegratz has mainly stuck to being in many German films, and he's appeared in movies such as Wild Chicks and its sequels, as well as Ruby Red. 

Franziska Troegner (Mrs. Gloop)

Mrs. Gloop was the mother of Augustus in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and she was played by Franziska Troegner. The actress has also been actively working in the German film industry, appearing in many German films and TV shows. She also appeared in a German TV movie The Law of Silence, and had a primary role in the German series The Country Doctor. 

Christopher Lee (Dr. Wonka)

Next up on the list is Christopher Lee, who portrayed Dr. Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Lee was a massive name in the film industry, but sadly passed away in 2015. 

However, before his passing, he did star in several movies, including The Golden Compass, Hugo, Dark Shadows, Night Train to Lisbon, Boogie Woodie, Alice in Wonderland, Angels in Nothing, and more. 

As you can see, Lee, Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter (which we'll get into next) regularly collaborated with films that Tim Burton directed, so they worked together often. Lee also had a guest role on the TV show The Colour of Magic. 

Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs. Bucket)

Next up on this list has to be Helena Bonham Carter, who played Mrs. Bucket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Like her co-stars, Carter appeared in several Tim Burton movies after her role in the film, including Dark Shadows, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, the Alice in Wonderland movies, and The Lone Ranger. 

Carter appeared in many other excellent films, too. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in The King's Speech in 2011. Besides that, she also appeared as Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter films, was the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, was in Les Miserables, and had a role in the Enola Holmes movies. 

She also had a prominent role on The Crown for two seasons and appeared in other shows such as Henry VIII, Love, Nina, and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which was unfortunately canceled. 

Coming up, she'll be in a new movie called The Offing and two other films called Four Letters of Love and the drama One Life. 

Noah Taylor (Mr. Bucket)

Noah Taylor portrayed Mr. Bucket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and he's appeared in various movies since then. This includes Red Dog, Skyscraper, The Menkoff Method, The Proposition, and more. 

Taylor has appeared on television as well. He portrayed Locke on Game of Thrones and appeared in several other shows such as Preacher, Peaky Blinders, A Small Light, and Foundation. He'll be in a new series called So Long, Marianne. 

Geoffrey Holder (The Narrator)

Lastly, we have Geoffrey Holder, the Narrator of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the voice that took us on the crazy journey we embarked on. 

He appeared in two other films, one as the narrator for The Magistical, and had a role in Joséphine Baker: Black Diva in a White Man's World. He also had a guest appearance on Celebrity Apprentice before he passed away in 2014. 

Talk about an impressive cast list filled with accomplishments. The next time you rewatch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, check out where these stars are now because they are everywhere. 

When The Crown started it was a historical drama; Claire Foy and Matt Smith led a cast through the Royal Family’s history during the late 1940s and early ‘50s. However, now the show is catching up with history, meaning what's happening now could be depicted on the show, and as we’ve gotten closer to that moment the criticism surrounding the show has gotten greater. Now, Helena Bonham Carter, who played Princess Margaret during Seasons 3 and 4 is speaking out about why she thinks the show shouldn’t “carry on.” 

Considering Carter played Princess Margaret for a while on the Netflix series, she was asked about the show’s future by The Guardian. The journalist had mentioned her work on The Crown because of Prince Harry’s book Spare, they also said the Netflix series would be easy to write now. Meanwhile, Carter simply believes the series shouldn’t continue, saying: 

Clearly, Carter does not want The Crown to crash further into the present, however, she did enjoy her time making the show. Back in 2020, the actress said that playing the princess was a “gift,” despite the role causing her anxiety. She also said she loved playing the princess who passed in 2002 because she was “complicated and complex” and that “she’s never boring.” 

Even though she loved her experience on the show, Carter stated it should not continue, she also made it clear she doesn’t want to comment on what the Royal Family is currently going through. Despite her character on The Crown also being the second-born child, she felt no need to comment on Prince Harry’s book full of allegations and revelations, saying: 

The book, and The Crown’s fifth season, which aired in late 2022, have both received a lot of criticism for the way they depicted the Royal Family. For example, a friend of the Royal Family alleged that series was “vilifying” the family, and said they were “horrified” by the show's latest season. Meanwhile, Imelda Staunton, who plays Queen Elizabeth II in the latest season, said it’s understandable why people feel “sensitive” about the new season, but also said the show was written with “respect” for the Royal Family. 

It’s clear that as The Crown inches closer to current times things will likely get a bit messier since many of the characters in the show are still alive and working. 

To watch the first five seasons of The Crown, witness Carter's performance as Princess Margaret and see how the show has depicted more recent events you can stream the historical drama with a Netflix subscription. 

The Harry Potter franchise has been entertaining audiences for decades, although it all started with J.K. Rowling’s beloved novels. And while the Wizarding World remains a vital part of pop culture, the author herself has been getting a ton of backlash over her controversial views on gender, sex, and the trans community. While various members of the Harry Potter cast have come out in suport of transgender folks, Helena Bonham Carter recently defended Rowling amid her controversies.

Helena Bonham Carter played the villainous Bellatrix Lestrange to pitch perfection in the final four Harry Potter films in the franchise. In a recent interview with The Times about her career and personal life, she defended both Johnny Depp and Rowling despite their controversies. When speaking about the creative mind behind the Wizarding World, Carter was quoted saying:

Well, there you have it. While both fans and celebrities alike have admonished J.K. Rowling’s comments about the transgender community, Helena Bonham Carter has another view of the situation. Namely because she’s putting great stock in the fact that the 57 year-old writer also came out as a domestic violence survivor, which seemingly informed her views on same-sex spaces. 

Helena Bonham Carter’s comments to The Times are sure to turn a few heads, especially as they stand in stark juxtaposition to statements issued by the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne. Those actors have all used their public platform to support the transgender community, which is vulnerable a demographic that faces violent in astonishing numbers. Still, Carter seems to take umbrage with just how much backlash has come J.K. Rowling’s way as a result of this discourse.

One of Helena Bonham Carter’s Harry Potter co-stars also recently came to the defense of J.K. Rowling. Namely Voldemort himself Ralph Fiennes, who similarly took issue with how much vitriol has come her way. Like Carter, he didn’t argue against people who were offended or upset by Rowling’s comments, but thinks that the response online has been toxic. Clearly the discourse surrounding Rowling isn’t going to slow down anytime soon.

Part of why J.K. Rowling’s views about gender have gotten such astrong reaction online is because of how many outsiders have identified with the Harry Potter franchise over the years. This is especially true for LGBTQ+ fans, who have felt betrayed by Rowling’s comments about the transgender community. Some have even gone so far as to leave the Wizarding World behind them entirely– including the books, movies, plays, and theme parks.

It’s currently unclear when Harry Potter will return to theaters, as the final two installments of the Fantastic Beasts franchise haven’t been announced yet. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year. 

For years now, Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard have been in the midst of an intense legal battle. Their defamation case got a verdict months ago, although both actors’s legal teams have filed appeals. A number of celebs have put their support behind Depp during this time, including co-stars like Helena Bonham Carter. And the Sweeney Todd actress shared her thoughts on Heard’s accusations against a “vindicated” Johnny Depp.

Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp have worked together on a number of projects over the years, including Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland movies. The Harry Potter actress recently spoke to The Times about her career, where eventually the subject of the Depp/Heard was broached. She spoke frankly about her thoughts on the legal situation, especially the Aquaman actress’ intentions. As Carter put it,

That’s certainly a bold claim, one that has the potential to get Helena Bonham Carter in some hot water online. Mostly because she seems to think that Amber Heard wasn’t telling the truth about the alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of Johnny Depp. Instead, Carter claims that she simply got on the bandwagon of the #MeToo movement. 

Helena Bonham Carter’s comments about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard come after her colleague largely came out the victor in court. Indeed, Heard was found guilty on three counts of defamation, and ordered to pay her ex-husband a whopping $10 million. Depp was found guilty on one count, although (as previously mentioned) both actors’ lawyers have appealed the verdict. And as such, thing still feel unsettled.

Later in her same interview, Helena Bonham Carter opened up more about Johnny Depp’s fate in this post-trial period. While his career was put on pause during the legal battle (especially thanks to his removal from Fantastic Beasts 3), he did recently book a new movie role, directing gig, and even appeared at the VMAs and Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show. Carter seems to think that his trouble are in the rear view, saying:

Indeed, it does seem like Johnny Depp’s career in on the upswing, and the court of public opinion seems to have largely sided with the Pirates of the Caribbean actor over his ex-wife. Fans were able to take sides thanks to there being cameras in the courtroom, resulting in both actors’ testimony going viral and being made into countless memes.

While Johnny Depp has been keeping busy as a musician and picking up new gigs, his ex-wife Amber Heard hasn’t been quite so busy or public since their defamation trial came to a close months ago. She’s reportedly been laying low overseas, and doesn’t have any future acting projects lined up. We’ll just have to see if anything changes regarding the appeals process.

Johnny Depp’s new movie doesn’t have a release date yet, but Amber Heard can be seen in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on December 25th, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year. 

Sherlock Holmes’ little sister is back! Enola Holmes won her way into Netflix subscribers’ hearts in the 2020 mystery film that bears her name, and the fourth wall-breaking heroine is back on the case, with Enola Holmes 2 coming to the streaming service on November 4. Along with Millie Bobby Brown in the titular role, Henry Cavill returns as older brother Sherlock, Helena Bonham Carter as their mother Eudoria Holmes, and Louis Partridge as Viscount Tewkesbury. The reviews are in, so do critics think the sequel lives up to the original?

From what we know about Enola Holmes 2, the young detective finally lands a case, when a young girl asks for help in finding her missing sister. The trailer suggests she’ll be teaming up with Sherlock for some good sibling hijinks, as their cases become intertwined. Let’s see what the critics are saying, starting with CinemaBlend’s review of Enola Holmes 2. Eric Eisenberg rates the film 4 stars out of 5, positing that the sequel outshines the original, with a more complex story and well-laid twists: 

Molly Freeman of ScreenRant agrees that the second offering in the book-to-film adaptation tells a more cohesive story than the first, and the movie is a cozy, low-stakes mystery with solid performances all around. The critic says: 

Paul Bradshaw of NME rates the film 3 out of 5 stars, saying the new adventure isn’t quite as thrilling as the first, but there’s plenty of fun still to be had: 

Andrew Webster of The Verge says with the origin story being taken care of in the first movie, Enola Holmes 2 is free to get straight to the fun, with a surprisingly complex mystery: 

Not all critics are quite as won over by the sequel, however, as Lovia Gyarkye of THR notes the movie is trying to juggle too much. However, Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill have a great on-screen dynamic as brother and sister. From the review: 

Kate Erbland of IndieWire also finds Enola Holmes 2 disappointing, grading it a C+ for its bloated plot and seemingly forgetting what made the charming young detective special in the first place: 

If this sounds like a mystery you want to dive into, you don’t have long to wait. Enola Holmes 2 will be available to stream on Netflix beginning Friday, November 4. In the meantime, you can watch (or re-watch) the first movie on the streaming service, and check out some of the other best movies on Netflix. Or, if you’re ready for another trip to the theater, check out our 2022 Movie Release Schedule to see what’s coming soon.

Helen McCrory made quite the impression in the Harry Potter films, in which she played Narcissa Malfoy, mother of Draco and wife of Lucius. She had an acting career that expanded through television, movies, and stage productions, producing memorable work over the years. Unfortunately, McCrory passed away at 52 last year following a battle with breast cancer. It's been more than a year since her passing, and Potter alums Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes, along with the late star's loved ones, got together to honor her in a lovely memorial service.

Losing someone is rarely ever easy, but honoring them following their death can help bring a sense of comfort. And the Harry Potter stars and Helen McCrory's family honored her beautifully just recently. Her husband, Billions actor Damian Lewis, appeared on Good Morning Britain (via the Daily Mail) and discussed the recent memorial he and her loved ones gave. The show’s host, Ben Shepherd, also talked about what it was like being able to attend with everyone else:

The hour-long memorial service was held at St Paul’s Church in London’s Covent Garden last month. And Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes, her Harry Potter's Bellatrix Lestrange and Lord Voldemort, respectively, weren't the only notable family friends in attendance, either. The late actress' Peaky Blinders co-stars, Joe and Finn Cole were also there. Other celebrities who were present include Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kelly Hawes, and Natascha McElhone. Damian Lewis was also accompanied by his children. The couple's daughter, 15-year-old Manon, delivered a reading and their son, 14-year-old Gulliver, played the guitar. 

The touching ceremony also included the playing of Beethoven’s "Ode to Joy" followed by a prayer and the hymn "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer." There were  also readings about the late star “leading men” as well as a recital of Maya Angelou’s poem, "Touched by an Angel." 

Helen McCrory and Damian Lewis had been married since 2007 and apparently created a lovely life together in the process. Lewis shared with the Good Morning Britain hosts how touched he was that so many attended and paid their respects:

Helen McCrory apparently wanted her family to move on after her passing and not dwell in the sorrow. And based on this recent event, it's clear that the family and their friends are choosing not to mourn her but to celebrate her.

When news of her death first broke, a number of her former cast members paid tribute to her. Tom Felton, who played her son in Harry Potter, said that he never had the chance to tell his on-screen mom about how she helped shape him as a person. Jason Isaacs, who played her movie husband, believed his co-star to be “the greatest actress” he’s ever seen and said that she had “an empathetic heart the size of a planet.”

Aside from her Wizarding World work, the late actress also appeared in the HBO adaptation of His Dark Materials as Lord Azriel’s daemon, Stelmaria. She also portrayed silent film star Jehanne d'Alcy in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo and of course, played Elizabeth “Polly” Gray on Peaky Blinders. She even lent her vocal talents to Phineas and Ferb episode. The Critics' Choice nominee was also philanthropic, as she and her husband raised more than £1million for Feed NHS. Additionally, she was an honorary patron to Scene & Heard, a charity that mentors inner-city children.

Helen McCrory’s acting talents, her giving nature, and the love she had for people will surely not be forgotten, and it's heartwarming to know that her friends and family are still taking the time to remember the unique person that she was. You can honor her memory as well by watching Peaky Blinders with your Netflix subscription and watching her in the last three Harry Potter movies using a HBO Max subscription.

The Wizarding World has been entertaining audiences for decades, and is showing no signs of slowing down. The cast of the eight-movie franchise have remained synonymous with their roles, especially Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe. And the Lost City actor recently shared the “nice things” about the Harry Potter reunion special, including seeing his childhood crush Helena Bonham Carter again.

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts was released on New Year’s Day, and was watched by a ton of HBO Max subscribers. While the generations of Potterheads were thrilled to see the cast back together, one of the most endearing moments came from the segment featuring Daniel Radcliffe and Bellatrix Lestrange actress Helena Bonham Carter. That’s where Radcliffe read out loud a love letter he sent to his co-star back in the day, to delightful results. Now the 32 year-old actor has opened up about the outcome of filming with People, saying:

Talk about heart warming. It looks like the reunion that came as a result of Return of Hogwarts has continued offscreen for certain members of the Harry Potter family. Daniel Radcliffe has been keeping in better contact with Helena Bonham Carter as a result, with the two seemingly planning their own off-camera reunion. Hopefully they snap a few pics in the process for us hardcore fans. Aside from his talks with Bonham Carter, Radcliffe also expressed the joy in speaking with the movie's adult cast now that he's grown up.

Daniel Radcliffe’s comments to People about Harry Potter come as he’s promoting his new movie The Lost City, which he stars in alongside Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. Eventually the conversation turned to his tenure in the Wizarding World, as so many of his interviews tend to do. Return of Hogwarts only exacerbated this, as there are countless follow-ups about what it was like seeing the cast together for the first time in a decade. 

It’s funny to hear the starring cast of Harry Potter reflect on their time in the Wizarding World, especially Daniel Radcliffe and his co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. They grew up in front of the camera, and are able to mark times in their lives depending on what was happening at Hogwarts. And for Radcliffe, that includes his now famous crush on Helena Bonham Carter. I guess she wasn’t as scary as Bellatrix on set.

While Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts was super satisfying for fans, some are hoping to see Daniel Radcliffe and the cast appear on the big screen together in the future. Specifically, they’re hoping that the ensemble reprises their roles for a film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. While they’re not all sold on this idea, perhaps that’ll change as more years pass. Fingers (and wands) crossed.

The Lost City is in theaters now. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

In December 2003, audiences around the world were introduced to the fantastical story and over-the-top characters of Big Fish. What some will call the best Tim Burton movie, this fantasy dramedy about a man learning to appreciate his father and his form of storytelling before it’s too late, features some of the best actors of the time and continues to enchant viewers of all ages.

But, nearly 20 years have past since we first watched a man catch a catfish with a wedding ring, visit an idyllic town hidden in the forest, and change the lives of countless people, and it’s safe to say you are probably wondering what the Big Fish cast is up to. Here is the answer to your question…

Ewan McGregor (Young Edward Bloom)

In Big Fish, Ewan McGregor plays the younger version of the Edward Bloom, the charismatic storyteller whose life journey was the stuff of legend. Already a major force in Hollywood by the time he worked with Tim Burton in the fantastical drama (the movie came out just one year after the release of Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones), McGregor has only become a bigger star in the years following its release.

All in the last five years, Ewan McGregor has appeared on Fargo, continued his globe-trotting motorcycle adventure docuseries with Long Way Up, and portrayed a grown-up Danny Torrance in Doctor Sleep. McGregor will return to the “galaxy far, far away” when he leads the upcoming Disney+ series, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Albert Finney (Old Edward Bloom)

The beloved legend of film, television, and the theatre, Albert Finney, took on the role of the older version of Edward Bloom in Big Fish, and brought with him decades of experience. The two-time Golden Globe winner continued to show up in movies like Ocean’s Twelve, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Skyfall before stepping away from acting in 2012. Finney passed away in February 2019 at the age of 82.

Billy Crudup (Will Bloom)

Taking on the role of Will Bloom in the Big Fish cast is Billy Crudup. In the years since playing the once-dismissive son of Edward Bloom, Crudup has gone on to appear in movies like Spotlight, Where’d You Go, Bernadette, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League (he previously worked with the director for Watchmen). 

Billy Crudup received a great deal of praise for his portrayal of Cory Ellison on the Apple TV+ original series The Morning Show, including a Primetime Emmy and Critics Choice Award in 2020.

Jessica Lange (Sandra Bloom)

Two-time Academy Award winner Jessica Lange portrays Sandra Bloom through much of Big Fish. The star of movies like Tootsie, Blue Sky, and Cape Fear, Lange has continued to appear on the big screen in recent years with movies like The Gambler, Wild Oats, and the upcoming Marlowe.

Over the course of the past decade, Jessica Lange has been a major player on the FX horror anthology series, American Horror Story, appearing on five of the show’s seasons since its debut in 2011. 

Alison Lohman (Sandra Bloom)

Alison Lohman, who broke out with her role in the 2002 drama, White Oleander, portrays the younger version of Sandra Bloom in Big Fish. Lohman followed up the Tim Burton film with movies like Matchstick Men, Beowulf, and Drag Me To Hell through the first decade of the 21st Century.

Upon stepping away from professional acting after marrying filmmaker Mark Neveldine in 2009, Alison Lohman began to spend her time raising her children, as well as serving as an online acting coach, a service she continues to offer to this day.

Marion Cotillard (Joséphine)

Marion Cotillard was already a sensation in her native France but started to break through with American audiences with her take on the character Joséphine Bloom in Big Fish. In the years following the film’s release, Cotillard appeared in Inception, Contagion, The Dark Knight Rises, and Macbeth, to name only a few.

More recently, Marion Cotillard has appeared in movies like Dolittle and Annette, and will soon join the star-studded cast of the Apple TV+ anthology series Extrapolations.

Helena Bonham Carter (Jenny/The Witch)

Helena Bonham Carter takes on two roles in Big Fish: Spectre resident Jenny and the Witch who showed a young Edward Bloom how he would die. In the years following the film’s release, Bonham Carter went on to land the role of Bellatrix Lestrange in the final four Harry Potter movies, and work more recently in Ocean’s 8 and Enola Holmes.

The versatile actress also found success on television, with one her most notable performances being that of Princes Margaret on the third and fourth seasons of The Crown. Helena Bonham Carter appeared on the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special in early 2022, where she had a memorable encounter with Daniel Radcliffe.

Danny DeVito (Amos Calloway)

Amos Calloway, the circus ringmaster (and werewolf) in Big Fish, is portrayed by the versatile Danny DeVito. The Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award winner has an extensive filmography to say the very least, including a great number of film and television appearances in recent years.

One of the leads of long-running comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which released its 15th season in late 2021, Danny DeVito has appeared in movies like Dumbo, Jumanji: The Next Level, and The One and Only Ivan over the past few years, with more movies on the way, like Haunted Mansion and Sniff.

Robert Guillaume (Dr. Bennett)

The late Robert Guillaume appeared as one of the major supporting characters, Dr. Bennett, in Big Fish. The Primetime Emmy and Tony Award winner passed away in October 2017 at the age of 89, per Deadline, leaving behind a legacy in film, television, and theatre. His list of credits range from the sitcom Soap to Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night and the 1994 animated smash hit, The Lion King, and even the 2004 video game, Half-Life 2.

Matthew McGrory (Karl The Giant)

Matthew McGrory portrayed the gentle and misunderstood Karl the Giant in Big Fish, which was a far stretch from the characters the actor played before and after. Due to his large stature, McGrory worked in mostly horror movies like House of 1000 Corpses and The Devils Rejects, and fantasy shows like Charmed and Carnivale. Saddly, McGrory passed away in August 2005 at the age of 32, according to the New York Times.

Steve Buscemi (Norther Winslow)

Taking on the role of the poet-turned-millionaire Norther Winslow in Big Fish is Steve Buscemi. One of the best character actors by the time he appeared in Tim Burton’s beloved classic, Buscemi has continued to find success in just about everything he does, whether it's as an actor or director.

Since 2019, Steve Buscemi has had one of the lead roles on the TBS anthology comedy series Miracle Workers, has appeared on Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, and even showed up on an episode of Rick and Morty. He will next appear in Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.

Ada Tai and Arlene Tai (Ping and Jing)

Sisters Ada and Arlene Tai appear in Big Fish as the conjoined twins Ping and Jing, but unlike their characters, they are not physically attached at the hip (though they work extensively together). The sisters last appeared on film in 2014, when they were featured in the short film The First Minute. The sisters currently own and operate the Los Angeles-based interior design company A&A Design Firm.

Loudon Wainwright III (Beamen)

Taking on the role of Spectre mayor, Beamen, in Big Fish is Loudon Wainwright III, the accomplished singer-songwriter who has also made several appearances in movies and television shows throughout his career. His most recent acting credit was the 2018 murder mystery series Mosaic, though he continues to release music, like the 2020 studio album I’d Rather Lead a Band.

David Denman (Don Price)

Don Price, Edward Bloom’s friend-turned-enemy in Big Fish, is played by David Denman, who most will recognize as the despicable Roy Anderson on The Office. Denman continues to be busy in Hollywood with movies like Brighburn and Greenland both having been released in the past few years. In 2021, Denman was featured in the main cast of the HBO dramatic limited series, Mare of Easttown.

Deep Roy (Mr. Soggybottom)

Taking on the role of Amos Calloway’s assistant and most-trusted friend, Mr. Soggybottom, in Big Fish is Deep Roy. The actor, stuntman, and puppeteer has appeared in dozens of movies over the years, including Star Trek, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Hook, and even Return of the Jedi. Roy’s most recent feature film appearance was in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, though he does stay rather busy with his booming Tik Tok account.

Missi Pyle (Mildred)

Missi Pyle appears in Big Fish as Mildred, one of the residents of Spectre who had an impact on Edward Bloom. Throughout her career, Pyle has made appearances on shows like Drunk History, Dirty John, and most recently, Y: The Last Man. Her most recent movie appearance was in the 2019 psychological drama Ma.

Well, hopefully this helps you make sense of the massive Big Fish cast. And, who knows, maybe we’ll see those familiar faces in some of the upcoming 2022 new movie releases.

The Harry Potter franchise has been enthralling audiences for decades, with entire generations brought up on the Wizarding World. This is partly thanks to the beloved eight-film movie franchise, starring Daniel Radcliffe in the title role. And the 32 year-old actor recently revealed the love letter he wrote to co-star Helena Bonham Carter following an on set crush.

Helena Bonham Carter played the villainous Bellatrix Lestrange in four Harry Potter movies, bringing the deranged Death Eater to life. And it turns out that during that time Daniel Radcliffe actually developed a crush on the Fight Club actress. The two recently reunited for HBO’s upcoming special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, where a love letter Radcliffe wrote was read on camera. It said,

You have to hand it to the kid, Daniel Radcliffe knew how to shoot his shot from a relatively young age. That letter is delightful, and shows what a great personality the Harry Potter star has. And it’s also clear that he and Helena Bonham Carter are able to look back at that time and laugh.

Daniel Radcliffe read his love letter to Helena Bonham Carter during the course of Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (via People). This is only one small piece of what’ll come when the highly anticipated streaming event is released on New Year’s Day. Smart money says there will be both laughs and tears to be had, especially for the trio of actors who grew up while playing Hogwarts students.

With Daniel Radcliffe and his co-stars starting their Harry Potter roles at a very young age, they all basically grew up in front of the public’s eye. This no doubt provided unique challenges, and Radcliffe has been open about how moments like his first kiss were connected to his tenure as The Boy Who Lived. And it turns out that he also developed a crush on Helena Bonham Carter in later years, after the two bonded on set.

The sneak peeks from Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts have already started rolling in, and it certainly seems like the starring cast is opening up about their experience working within the Wizarding World. This includes both Emma Watson and Rupert Grint admitting that they thought about leaving their respective roles in the midst of the eight-movie franchise. Considering the immense pressure and fame put on the starring trio in particular, can we blame them?

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts will arrive on HBO Max on January 1st. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Almost exactly a year ago, Enola Holmes hit Netflix and dazzled fans of mystery with a fresh twist on the Sherlock Holmes story, with the detective’s younger sister solving a conundrum of her own. Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown starred as Enola, a quirky and clever young girl with an eye for observing, and Justice League’s Henry Cavill played the world’s greatest detective, and a lot of people loved it. The movie is now getting a sequel, and there will, in fact, be a number of welcome familiar faces.

In addition to Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill back as the Holmes siblings, it has also been announced that their mother, Eudoria Holmes will once again be played by Helena Bonham Carter, per Variety. She is the beloved character actress found in films like Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables and the Harry Potter series. Carter played a key role in the first Enola Holmes, and we’re overjoyed she’ll be part of the sequel.

Enola Holmes was an adaptation of the Nancy Springer-penned young adult books of the same name. The 2020 movie was based on the first book in the series, The Case of the Missing Marquess, which involved young Enola trying to find her missing mother, played by Helena Bonham Carter. There are seven Enola Holmes books thus far, with the next book called The Case of the Left-Handed Lady. Should the sequel go in order, Enola may be hunted down by Sherlock Holmes as she unravels a mystery about an artist named Lady Cecily.

Along with Helena Bonham Carter joining the Enola Holmes 2 cast, Enola’s friend and potential blooming love interest Tewkesbury will return, with Louis Partridge back among the cast. The same creative team is also back, including director Harry Bradbeer and writer Jack Thorne. The sequel is expected to begin production shortly in London.

Also joining the world of Enola Holmes for the first time is David Thewis, who worked with Helena Bonham Carter on the Harry Potter films when he played Remus Lupin. Dune’s Sharon Duncan-Brewster and newcomers Hannah Dodd, Abbie Hern and Gabriel Tierney are also involved. Adeel Akhtar, who played Inspector Lestrade in Enola Holmes, is also reportedly back for the sequel.

Enola Holmes has become one of the most watched Netflix original movies ever. The streaming platform recently updated its Top 10, and the movie was No.7 in between The Old Guard and Project Power with 77 million households checking it out in its first 28 days of release. At the top of the movie list is Extraction, which is also soon getting a sequel starring Chris Hemsworth once again.

We don’t have a release date for Enola Holmes 2 yet, but it's a good bet it'll arrive in late 2022. If so, Millie Bobby Brown has a huge year ahead of her, with Stranger Things also coming back for Season 4 next year as well. And you can soon catch Henry Cavill in Season 2 of Netflix’s The Witcher, coming December 17.

Obviously, the first (and the second) rule of Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club. That said, that indoctrinating regulation hasn't stopped a whole lot of people from chatting breathlessly about David Fincher's cult classic adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's influential 1996 novel. While the pulpy film wasn't widely acclaimed upon release, the sneering social satire has since been hailed as one of the finest films from one of our best filmmakers, and the lead performances from Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter remain among their most revered. Now that it's been 21 years since this movie hit theaters, let's see what the Fight Club cast, including Jared Leto, is doing now.

Edward Norton (The Narrator)

As The Narrator, a dissatisfied, disassociative not-so-ordinary man who forms a hard-knock friendship with Tyler Durden, Edward Norton plays the unnamed protagonist in David Fincher's Fight Club. Following his acclaimed, Oscar-nominated breakout role in Primal Fear, Norton received two more Oscar nominations for his lead performance in American History X and his supporting turn Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). Additionally, the star is celebrated and recognized for his work in 25th Hour, The Illusionist, Rounders, The Score, Death to Smoochy, The Incredible Hulk, The Italian Job (2003), and Pride and Glory. Furthermore, Norton is both the star and producer of The Painted Veil, Leaves of Grass, and Down in the Valley, which the actor also edited.

Moreover, Edward Norton was the director, producer, and star of Keeping the Faith. Additionally, he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in Motherless Brooklyn. His other film credits include Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Red Dragon, Frida, The People vs. Larry Flynt, and Everyone Says I Love You. Next, Norton reunites with Wes Anderson for The French Dispatch. Currently, he's filming a role in Knives Out 2.

Brad Pitt (Tyler Durden)

In the role of Tyler Durden, our narrator's darker half who indulges his most destructive impulses, Brad Pitt plays the co-lead in Fight Club. Most notably, Pitt won two Oscars: one for his celebrated supporting turn in Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood and another for producing 12 Years a Slave. Also, Pitt is Oscar-nominated for his work in Moneyball, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and 12 Monkeys, as well as for producing The Big Short. His other film credits include Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Inglorious Basterds, Se7en, Ad Astra, Legends of the Fall, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Interview with the Vampire, Troy, Babel, The Tree of Life, and the Ocean's movies.

Next, Brad Pitt will star in Bullet Train. He'll also provide a cameo in The Lost City of D. Currently, the award-winning actor is in the midst of filming Babylon. Additionally, Pitt will produce Blonde, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Wrong Answer, Women Talking, Americanah, She Said, Black Hole, and a Chris Cornell documentary.

Helena Bonham Carter (Marla Singer)

Playing the part of Marla Singer, a heavy-smoking, coffee-loving, strong-willed woman who becomes something of a love interest for our dual-minded lead character, Helena Bonham Carter gives an exceptional performance in David Fincher's Fight Club. Notably, she was Oscar-nominated for her lead role in The Wings of the Dove and her supporting turn in The King's Speech. Additionally, Carter received two Emmy nominations for her portrayal of Princess Margaret in Netflix's The Crown. Also, the actress was Emmy-nominated for her performances in Burton and Taylor, Live from Baghdad, and Merlin.

Furthermore, Helena Bonham Carter is known for her multiple collaborations with Tim Burton, including Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Big Fish, Alice in Wonderland, Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, and Dark Shadows. She also played Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter movies. Next, Carter will be seen in BBC's The Cleaner and heard in Netflix's The House. Additionally, she's signed on to star in Call My Agent, The Land of Sometimes, and Not Bloody Likely.

Jared Leto (Angel Face)

As Angel Face, a pretty-faced "Space Monkey" in Project Mayhem, Jared Leto gives one of his most famous performances in Fight Club. Most notably, Leto won an Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club. He's also known for starring in Requiem for a Dream, Lord of War, Mr. Nobody, Chapter 27, and Urban Legends. Additionally, Leto reunited with David Fincher for Panic Room. His other film credits include Blade Runner 2049, American Psycho, The Thin Red Line, Alexander, How to Make an American Quilt, Suicide Squad, and Girl, Interrupted. Furthermore, Leto is known for playing Jordan Catalano in ABC's My So-Called Life. Also, as a musician, he's the lead vocalist for 30 Seconds to Mars.

Most recently, Jared Leto provided a supporting turn in The Little Things and reprised his role as The Joker in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Next, he'll appear in House of Gucci. Moreover, Leto will star in Morbius. Currently, he's filming a role in Apple TV+'s mini-series, WeCrashed. Also, the method actor is soon expected to reunite with Darren Aronofsky in Adrift, play Andy Warhol in an upcoming biopic, and maybe star in Tron 3.

Meat Loaf (Robert “Bob” Paulson)

In the role of Robert "Bob" Paulson, a former bodybuilder who attends the testicular cancer support group, Meat Loaf has a memorable performance in David Fincher's Fight Club. A prog-rock musician who's best known for his wide-ranging voice, he's the powerhouse singer behind the best-selling Bat Out of Hell trilogy. Meat Loaf has nine other albums; the rock legend's most recent release was 2016's Braver Than We Are.

Furthermore, as an actor, Meat Loaf's other film credits include The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Wayne's World, Spice World, Roadie, Stage Fright, and Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny. He can also be seen in BloodRayne, Crazy in Alabama, Out of Bounds, Leap of Faith, Blacktop, The 51st State, Burning Bright, The Moment, Beautiful Boy (2010), Motorama, and The Gun in Betty's Lou's Handbag. Additionally, on the stage, Meat Loaf appeared in the original cast of Rocky Horror. He was also in on-and-off-Broadway performances of Hair. Moreover, Meat Loaf's TV credits include House, Monk, The Outer Limits, and Elementary. The rocker was last seen in Syfy's Ghost Wars.

Zach Grenier (Richard Chesler)

Playing the part of Richard Chesler, The Narrator's boss, Zach Grenier has a notable role in Fight Club. A veteran character actor, Grenier is known for his supporting turns in Twister and Tommy Boy. Additionally, he later reunited with David Fincher for Zodiac. Furthermore, Grenier can be seen in films like Donnie Brasco, Working Girl, Cliffhanger, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, J. Edgar, Problem Child 2, The Man Without a Face, Rescue Dawn, Swordfish, RoboCop (2014), Pulse, and See No Evil, Hear No Evil.

Away from film, Zach Grenier played David Lee in CBS's The Good Wife. Currently, the actor plays this part in Paramount+'s The Good Fight. Also, Grenier had recurring roles in Deadwood, 24, BrainDead, and Ray Donovan. His other notable television credits include Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Additionally, Grenier was Tony-nominated for his performance in Broadway's 33 Variations. Recently, he appeared in FX's Devs. Next, the actor will be seen in the short film, The White Stuff.

Holt McCallany (The Mechanic)

As The Mechanic, a Fight Club regular and veteran, Holt McCallany was a prominent supporting player in David Fincher's fourth film. Most notably, McCallany is known for playing the part of FBI Special Agent Bill Tench in Netflix's Mindhunter, which continued his working relationship with Fincher. His other television credits include CSI: Miami, Blue Bloods, Heroes, Freedom, Lights Out, Golden Boy, and Law & Order. Additionally, in film, McCallany can be seen in Three Kings, Alpha Dog, Sully, Alien 3, Creepshow 2, Men of Honor, Casualties of War, Run All Night, Against the Ropes, Blackhat, and Vantage Point. Furthermore, the actor appeared in The Losers, Shot Caller, The Peacemaker, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, The Perfect Guy, Monster Trucks, Concussion, Below, and Justice League. Also, last year, McCallany had a supporting turn in Greenland.

Most recently, Holt McCallany was seen in Wrath of Man and Netflix's The Ice Road. Next, the actor appears in Guillermo Del Toro's Nightmare Alley. Currently, McCallany is filming a role in AMC's 61st Street. He's also signed on to star in Our Summer of Song.

David Andrews (Thomas)

In the role of Thomas, another member of the support group, David Andrews provides a vocal supporting turn in Fight Club. The character actor is also known for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Apollo 13, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Wyatt Earp, World War Z, Fair Game, Cherry 2000, and Dear John. His other film credits include Jessabelle, Arthur Newman, The Conspirator, Stealth, A Walk to Remember, Hannibal, Graveyard Shift, and The Palmer Supremacy.

Additionally, on television, David Andrews was seen in JAG, Pulaski: The TV Detective, Justified, CSI: Miami, House of Cards, The Boys, Shooter, The Whispers, Drop Dead Diva, Crisis, Necessary Roughness, Marry Me, and Days of Our Lives. Furthermore, the actor guest-starred on Watchmen, How to Get Away with Murder, For All Mankind, NCIS, Scandal, and Six Feet Under. He can also be seen in Band of Brothers, CSI: Miami, Castle, Criminal Minds, Stargate SG-1, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Dawson's Creek. Most recently, Andrews appeared in the final season of USA Network's Queen of the South.

Eion Bailey (Ricky)

Playing the part of Ricky, The Narrator's young co-worker, Eion Bailey received one of his first film credits in David Fincher's Fight Club. A couple of years later, Bailey found more prominence in the role of Pvt. David Kenyon Webster in HBO's Band of Brothers. Also, Bailey is known for his work as Arthur, i.e. Pinocchio, in ABC's Once Upon a Time, Ben Mercer in USA Network's Covert Affairs, and Steve Knight in Showtime's Ray Donovan. Additionally, the actor had recurring roles in ER and Stalker, as well as a main part in the short-lived series, Significant Others. His other television credits include 30 Rock, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, FBI, and Emily in Paris. Last year, Bailey was the star of Hallmark Channel's Delivery by Christmas. He also won an Emmy for Lifetime's Life of the Party.

Furthermore, away from TV, Eion Bailey's other film credits include Almost Famous, Center Stage, Mindhunters, and Sexual Life. Most recently, the TV actor was seen in Paramount+'s The Stand. Next, Bailey will star in Epix's From, which is filming now.

Fight Club is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Over the years, Sherlock Holmes has had many faces, most recently Robert Downey Jr. in the Sherlock Holmes movies and Benedict Cumberbatch in the Sherlock TV series. Now, Henry Cavill is stepping into those big shoes but, with Netflix’s Enola Holmes, the focus has shifted toward his younger sister, an idea that co-star Helena Bonham Carter loved.

Helena Bonham Carter plays Sherlock, Mycroft and Enola's mother, Eudoria Holmes, an off-beat mom who raises Enola in ways that differ from what 19th-century society teaches. And for Helena Bonham Carter, focusing on Sherlock’s younger sister, rather than Sherlock himself, was a way to thumb your nose at the original Sherlock. Here's what she said to EW:

It’s true that focusing on Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister is a different take that allows a female Holmes to take over and solve a mystery for once. For Helena Bonham Carter, there’s deeper meaning there that pushes back against an originally problematic character.

The idea of Enola Holmes has actually been around for some time. The movie is based on Nancy Springer’s six books that were published from 2006 to 2010. The series drew interest from director Harry Bradbeer and writer Jack Thorne, who ultimately adapted the series into a film.

Of course, you couldn’t have a movie about the Holmes family without Sherlock, himself. In this movie, Henry Cavill portrays the famous detective and does a surprisingly different take from his predecessors. Still, even though he’s in the movie, he only makes brief appearances, and Enola Holmes still holds the spotlight.

Enola Holmes is a fourth-wall-breaking mystery starring Millie Bobbie Brown and focuses on the main character's efforts to find her missing mother. Meanwhile, Enola Holmes stumbles upon another mystery involving a young Lord and tries to solve both before her brother finds her.

But has it made a big enough splash to be an effective fight against focusing so much on Sherlock? So far, all signs seem to be pointing to a resounding yes. Critical reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, with some, by and large, having fallen in love with the movie.

Whenever a movie does well, people naturally wonder if there will be a sequel. At this point, there’s no firm confirmation on whether or not an Enola Holmes 2 is coming, but Harry Bradbeer has admitted that there’s have been discussions, which, for fans of this movie, could still be promising news. For more on Netflix's Enola Holmes, be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

Over the past few years, Netflix has become a behemoth of original content. In addition to the TV shows that put the streaming service on the map, Netflix has also made an effort to release more original film content. One of these many projects coming down the pipeline is Harry Bradbeer's Enola Holmes, starring Stranger Things breakout star Millie Bobby Brown as the title character. The movie's first trailer just arrived, which features the a great cast, some action, and Henry Cavill's amazing hair.

Enola Holmes focuses on Sherlock Holmes' younger sister, played by Millie Bobby Brown. The young actress has already found a home on Netflix, and now that collaboration is expanding to film projects. The first trailer for Enola Holmes shows what a strong cast was assembled to bring it to life, including Helena Bonham Carter, Killing Eve's Fiona Shaw, and the Man of Steel himself Henry Cavill. Check it out below.

Well, this looks like a thoroughly delightful streaming service. Netflix subscribers have been curious to see the first footage from Enola Holmes, and the trailer did not disappoint. It looks like the title character is in for a unique adventure that will require brains, heart, and the occasional etiquette lesson. Let's break down what we're being shown here.

The first trailer for Netflix's Enola Holmes starts with the narration from Millie Bobby Brown's character, which will presumably continue throughout the course of the upcoming movie's 123 minute runtime. Enola gives the public some backstory, revealing the origin of her unique name and her loving relationship with her mother Eudoria Holmes (Helena Bonhman Carter). She learns a ton of skills in the process, which must be used when Eudoria suddenly vanishes without a trace.

Enola quickly gets to business in order to try and track down her missing matriarch, but doesn't decide to have this type of adventure alone. Instead, she's joined by her brothers Mycroft and Sherlock, played by actors Sam Claflin and Henry Cavill respectively. The latter actor's hair is particularly glorious for this movie, with waves that will no doubt look surprisingly perfect throughout the adventure.

From the moment she meets up with her brothers in Enola Holmes' trailer, it's clear that the talented title character is missing one crucial skill: how to be a lady. They admonish her appearance, calling her a "wild woman." And as a result, she runs away to continue the search for her mother. That's when the action really begins.

As Elona trains in etiquette, she meets some friends along the way. The action of the Enola Holmes trailer picks up, as Hole's iconic track "Celebrity Skin" fuels action sequences with appropriate language for Millie Bobby Brown's protagonist. She'll have to use the various skills taught by her mother to find Eudoria, with her fourth wall breaking narration helping to buoy the trailer's runtime.

Elona Holmes is set to release September 23rd on Netflix. In the meantime, check out out our 2020 release list to plan your next movie experience.

Helena Bonham Carter will have played Princess Margaret for two seasons when Season 4 of The Crown debuts later this year. Bonham Carter took over the role from Vanessa Kirby, who originated it when the Netflix drama began. It turns out that playing Queen Elizabeth II’s younger sister required Bonham Carter to handle some anxiety. How did she do it?

The Crown star has not been shy about taking on some quirky roles during her career, and Helena Bonham Carter has even played real-life people before, including in the 2009 film The King’s Speech, where she played Princess Margaret’s mother. One of the things that Bonham Carter does to set aside her anxiety in playing a role is research, which included meeting those who knew Princess Margaret.

Yes, there was more to Helena Bonham Carter’s preparation for The Crown than getting Princess Margaret’s approval through that psychic. Bonham Carter revealed that she did get her blessing. As for her research in meeting those who knew Princess Margaret in the flesh, she shared that it helped her cope with the anxiety of taking on the role. On the process, Bonham Carter told Variety:

All of Helena Bonham Carter’s research paid off, as she received a 2020 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Princess Margaret on The Crown. Time will tell if Bonham Carter goes back-to-back with another nomination in 2021 after Season 4 premieres.

In the bittersweet world of The Crown, Helena Bonham Carter has already finished filming her time as Princess Margaret. Oscar-nominee Lesley Manville will take over wearing Princess Margaret’s tiara from Bonham Carter for The Crown’s fifth and sixth seasons, but fans still have another season of Bonham Carter’s performance to look forward to. It is a role that she will probably miss. On playing the part, Bonham Carter said:

Helena Bonham Carter clearly enjoyed her time in the tiara, and mentioned the complexity of Princess Margaret, who passed away in 2002 at the age of 71.  Among the topics covered by The Crown has been Princess Margaret’s fraught relationship with her older sister, Queen Elizabeth II.

Like Helena Bonham Carter, Queen Elizabeth II will also be recast after Season 4, and Imelda Staunton will take over the role from Olivia Colman. Hopefully, fans of The Crown do not have too much longer to wait on Bonham Carter’s final curtsy as Princess Margaret. While Season 5 has hit a delay, the final season is expected to arrive without disruption.

You can stream the first three seasons of The Crown on Netflix. Season 4 is currently expected to be among the streamer’s 2020 premieres. The fifth season is now slated to arrive in 2022. While you wait for Helena Bonham Carter’s last season as Princess Margaret to bow, check out this fall’s schedules to stay entertained.

Helena Bonham Carter has made bold choices throughout her career. From playing a talking ape in Planet of the Apes to helping Johnny Depp murder barbershop customers in Sweeney Todd, she’s had a knack for playing some pretty weird characters -- in fact, the only thing you can really expect from her is that she’ll do something unexpected. If you ask Helena Bonham Carter why her career has unfolded this way, she has a pretty interesting answer.

Not many people can say they’ve starred in one of the biggest cult classics of all time and gone wand-to-wand with Harry Potter. Helena Bonham Carter can, though, because she’s built her career on taking on some bizarre characters and completely owning them. In a recent roundtable discussion with THR, she explained that from the get-go, she found it challenging to fit into the Hollywood scene:

Her uncertainty over what a career in Hollywood would look like sounds like it must have been frustrating. She eventually found a way, though, to take roles in movies and still feel like she was staying true to herself, no matter how weird the role was:

It’s cool to hear her perspective on this -- that she knows who she wants to be as an actress and that her decisions have been driven by that knowledge. It’s also an important reminder that Helena Bonham Carter’s filmography is stacked with a wide range of roles. For every Fight Club or Dark Shadows, there’s a The King’s Speech or Howard’s End. So yeah, maybe she can be a little weird sometimes -- that’s just more proof of her immense talent.

What’s your favorite Helena Bonham Carter movie? Let us know in the comments!

Actors are constantly vying for roles with their peers -- so they’re no strangers to rejection. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting a bit when an actor misses out on a role, especially if it’s in a film that goes on to become legendary. That’s exactly what happened to Janeane Garofalo with an important role in Fight Club -- although if you ask Edward Norton, she is mistaken to blame him for what happened behind the scenes.

Earlier this week, Janeane Garofalo revealed that she had almost been cast as Marla Singer, the incredibly unstable woman Edward Norton's Narrator meets in David Fincher’s Fight Club. But, she said during an interview on the Build Series, to her recollection, Norton put the kibosh on her casting.

Janeane Garofalo said that David Fincher told her she could play the part if she wanted to. But according to the actress, she was later told Edward Norton wanted Courtney Love (his girlfriend at the time) to play Marla. She also heard that he didn’t believe she was a skilled enough actress to take on the role, which was ultimately played by Helena Bonham Carter. She even said that years later one of the film’s other stars, Brad Pitt, had personally expressed regret about the fallout with her casting.

Edward Norton has now responded, refuting her recollection of events in a statement to CNN:

The actor went on to explain that in his experience working with Fight Club’s director, David Fincher tends to make all the decisions himself, and does not ask for actors’ input on casting matters:

And just for good measure, Edward Norton seemed to indicate that he would have been on board for playing opposite Janeane Garofalo:

It may be difficult to ever totally discern what did or didn’t happen with regards to Marla’s casting. Fight Club was released in 1999, and at the time, Janeane Garofalo may have wondered if she’d dodged a bullet. Though it’s now cemented itself as a cult classic, the film was controversial at first, and underperformed at the box office. Still, it can’t have been easy to feel a role that she wanted slip through her fingers, regardless of the circumstances surrounding how it happened.

David Fincher has yet to respond to either Janeane Garofalo or Edward Norton’s conflicting comments.

Season 3 of The Crown is coming soon to Netflix, with Helena Bonham Carter is set to play the older version of Princess Margaret, who was formerly portrayed by Vanessa Kirby. Usually, when actors are cast in a role where they’re playing real-life people, research into their lifestyle and mannerisms are par for the course. However, Bonham Carter went one step further and reportedly consulted the deceased spirit of Princess Margaret. Yes, you read that correctly.

When fans discuss Netflix’s The Crown, necromancy doesn’t usually come to mind. In an appearance at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Helena Bonham Carter admitted to wanting Princess Maragaret’s blessing. The only thing getting in the way of that is the fact that she’s been dead for 17 years. Enter the psychic, who helped Bonham Carter reach out to the monarch through spiritual means.

If that doesn’t sound strange enough, Helena Bonham Carter (who will forever be known as Harry Potter’s Bellatrix Lestrange) went on to reveal that Princess Margaret even offered her advice about smoking in character onscreen.

Probably not a lot of entertainers out there who went into new gigs after receiving smoking advice (and some light criticisms) from a royal otherworldly entity. It would certainly be amusing if it happened more often, though.

Per Hollywood standards, visiting a psychic prior to taking a role isn’t necessarily unusual, but considering that Helena Bonham Carter is portraying a real-life person, it’s more than a little creepy. But don’t worry, the actress also did other kinds of research for the role, reading about her and reaching out to those who knew Princess Margaret. I guess we’ll have to see if the psychic’s visit helped when Bonham Carter makes her debut as Margaret in Season 3.

The Crown, which followed the life and reign of Claire Foy's Queen Elizabeth II in its first two seasons, is a staple on Netflix. With a new season, however, comes an entirely new cast, including Olivia Colman’s take on Elizabeth II. It’s bold for a show to jump so far ahead in any given character’s life, but considering that The Crown’s Elizabeth is based on an actual monarch, there’s a lot of material to mine from this time jump.

The Crown Season 3 will be available to stream on Netflix on Friday, November 17. In the meantime, be sure to check out our complete guide to every new and returning show this fall.

It’s been almost 20 years since the first movie adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World hit the big screen in the form of 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Since then, the fantasy franchise has spun seven sequels, a completely new film series called Fantastic Beasts, and a highly popular land in Universal Studios.

The phenomenon has been around for nearly a generation, and while the main cast of the classic series have had close to a decade to grow apart from with their iconic roles, it’s always magical to look back at what’s changed between their first trip to Hogwarts to today. There’s been a mix of glo ups, sad passings and exciting projects between the Harry Potter film family between then and now. Let’s take a look:

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)

Look how far little Harry has come since his humble beginnings living in the Cupboard Under the Stairs! The star wizard of the series scored his famous role when he was just eleven years old and he will always be best remembered as the boy who lived. His first Harry Potter follow-up was the 2012 horror flick The Woman in Black, but he’s also starred in the indie rom-com What If, the box office flop Victor Frankenstein alongside James McAvoy, the critically-acclaimed indie Swiss Army Man and the 'magical' Now You See Me sequel.

Radcliffe also lit up Broadway in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying revival, starred in a two-season television series with Jon Hamm called A Young Doctor’s Notebook & Other Stories, and currently stars in TBS mini-series Miracle Workers as a low-level angel trying to settle a bet with God (Steve Buscemi) and stop the destruction of Earth. The actor has dabbled in just about everything as he nears 30 this year and doesn’t seem to stop pushing the boundaries of his talent each time we see him. Maybe Wolverine next?

Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley)

Remember when an 11-year-old Rupert Grint saved all of Hogwarts as Ron Weasley in Sorcerer’s Stone thanks to some expert chess knowledge? Iconic. While the actor recently admitted that he almost called quits on the role after wrapping Goblet of Fire when fame took hold, he stuck it out and without regrets… but what has life been like since?

Rupert took on a few off-beat roles directly after Deathly Hallows Part 2, such as in the action-comedy Moonwalkers with Ron Perlman and the Shia LaBeouf lead drama Charlie Countryman. He’s recently found his place on television in Sick Note with fellow child star (and redhead) Lindsay Lohan, Crackle’s Snatch remake and as Inspector Crome in BBC’s The ABC Murders. The actor is also set to star in M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming Apple show. The actor has kept with the much darker roles he’s drawn to without swinging deep back into the spotlight.

Emma Watson (Hermoine Granger)

For many, Emma Watson’s Hermoine Granger was the nerdy, overachieving bookworm we could finally relate to, so when the actress took on Belle for Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast, it felt a bit like she was living in her glory days. In between, the 28-year-old Brit has also challenged herself as an actress, become an outspoken women’s rights activist and created her own feminist book club.

After saying goodbye to Hermoine, Watson took on some edgy roles for The Perks of Being a Wallflower, This is the End and The Bling Ring along with starring in thrillers such as Regression, Colonia and The Circle. Beauty and the Beast was by far her most successful Harry Potter follow-up, as it made over $1.2 billion worldwide. Watson is also gearing up to star in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women with Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep and Laura Dern. Raising your hand in class pays!

Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy)

Just about every young hero has a bratty bully to face, and Tom Felton’s Draco Malfoy certainly fit that bill throughout the Harry Potter franchise. So what was the first role the actor book after a decade as the deplorable villain? You guessed it… another baddie in 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Since then, Tom Felton has earned acting credits in quite a few off-radar films with some big names such as Sebastian Stan, Taraji P. Henson, Oscar Isaac, Elizabeth Olsen and Gemma Chan. His most memorable new role is certainly as Julian Albert in CW’s The Flash in Season 3. The actor has recently floated to a new television show on YouTube TV’s new sci-fi show Origins. The spaceship-set series on the new streaming platform has seen some exciting success, so season 2 could be on the way!

Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley)

Ron’s little sister and Harry Potter’s future wife has transformed from an adorable child actress to an all grown-up lady! While to most the actress hasn’t maintained the star status of her fellow Harry Potter stars, she has maintained active in the filmmaking community as an actress, screenwriter and director.

On screen, Bonnie Wright has starred in mainly made-for-television titles primarily geared for a family-friendly audience such as My Dad Is Scrooge, Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg? and A Christmas Carol. She made her debut writing/directorial project with Harry Potter co-star with David Thewlis (he played Remus Lupin) with a 2012 short film and has since developed a handful of other projects under her own Bon Bon Lumiere production company.

Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom)

Neville Longbottom may start off as a clumsy and laughable kid in Sorcerer’s Stone, but as the franchised progressed, the character became an important part of the team, as he destroyed the final Horcrux by slicing off Nagini’s head clean off. He saved them all! Actor Matthew Lewis became quite the viral sensation as he exited Harry Potter with an unexpected glo up. Yes, those two are the same person…

The 29-year-old actor has since mainly worked in British television shows such as The Syndicate, Bluestone 42 and Girlfriends, along with having a role in 2016 romance Me Before You. Lewis recently got married to Angela Jones, an event planner with Universal who he met at a Wizarding World event in Orlando. We’re not sure what’s next for Lewis other than being perfect and happy. I’d say that’s not a bad real-life ending for Neville!

Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort)

For a character known as "He-who-must-not-be-named," Ralph Fiennes was certainly one of the biggest names in the Harry Potter franchise when he was cast as the main antagonist at the turn of the 21st century. Before taking on Voldemort, Fiennes was a two-time Oscar nominee for Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List and The English Patient.

Between and after Harry Potter, the actor kept on keeping on with high-profile roles in The Hurt Locker, Skyfall, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and he had recent voice roles in Kubo and the Two Strings and as Alfred in The Lego Batman Movie. On paper, the iconic role is just one of his many roles (over 70 acting credits) and he’s nearly unrecognizable as the villain in any other movie. Next, Fiennes will be in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, the next Kingsman movie and Bond 25.

Richard Harris/Michael Gambon (Dumbledore)

Did you know two actors played Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films? Richard Harris first played the role in Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets before his 2002 passing, after the actor was hospitalized with pneumonia and diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. Before playing Dumbledore, Harris had roles in quite a few of classics including 1967’s Camelot, Unforgiven and Gladiator.

Michael Gambon took over the role in 2004 and played Dumbledore until the final installment. He turned down the role of James Bond in 1970, though made a name for himself in his roles in The Singing Detective, as president Lyndon B. Johnson in Path to War and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. After playing Dumbledore, Gambon has been in a ton of projects – most notably as the voice of Uncle Pastuzo in the Paddington movies.

Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid)

The bear-huggable Harry Potter character was another accomplished Brit before Hagrid came to him as a famous comedian, with roles all over the map, such as Valentin Zukovsky, a character opposite Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond, and star of the three-season series Cracker.

After playing Hagrid, Robbie Coltrane took on a couple voice parts for Arthur Christmas and Brave and starred in a couple projects involving his Potter family co-stars: an adaptation of Great Expectations with Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter, and the Hulu show National Treasure with Julie Walters, who we’ll get to. The 68-year-old actor is also nearly unrecognizable between his husky bearded look in the fantasy films and usually more clean-cut roles in recent years. Though his unmistaken unfamiliarity will stump the untrained eye.

Alan Rickman (Severus Snape)

When Alan Rickman stepped into his Harry Potter role, he already had an extremely memorable role as Hans Gruber in 1988’s Die Hard – a Christmas classic. He also starred in Sense and Sensibility and Galaxy Quest. Rickman’s portrayal of Severus Snape is a beloved fan favorite and he offered some franchise highlights. During his time on Harry Potter, he played a part in Love Actually as the breaker of Emma Thompson’s heart and all of ours, starred in Sweeney Todd, Bottle Shock and the caterpillar in 2010’s Alice in Wonderland.

However, his time after the Harry Potter movies ended up being his final years. The actor played meaty roles such as Ronald Reagan in Lee Daniels’ The Butler and King Louis XIV in A Little Chaos among others before he died of pancreatic cancer in January 2016 at the age of 69. The actor certainly had an illustrious career, greatly defined by his time as Snape.

Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall)

When Dame Maggie Smith started playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in 2001, she was 67 years old and one of the most famous British actresses of her time. However, her Harry Potter role made her a household name among younger and newer audiences who may not have known about her otherwise.

When Maggie Smith hung up her pointed hat, she starred in even more movies (many of which, critically acclaimed), such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movies, Quartet, The Old Lady, The Lady in the Van and the highly acclaimed TV series Downton Abbey as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, whom she will reprise in a planned feature film to follow the television show. Retirement who? Maggie Smith’s star status has only grown since Harry Potter.

Gary Oldman (Sirius Black)

Here’s something crazy about Gary Oldman: while he was playing the father-figure to young Harry, Sirius Black he was also in the thick of playing Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. The actor was one of the few who was simultaneously on two monumental franchises of the time and will also be remembered for playing these well-known pop culture characters.

Since, he earned two Best Actor nominations for Tinker Tailor Solider Spy and as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, which he won the golden trophy for in 2018. He’s also starred in a few action flicks including RoboCop, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Among the masses, he is overwhelmingly known as Sirius Black, even though he has played many other memorable parts.

Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange)

Helena Bonham Carter was already defined by her dark roles in fantasy films (primarily from Tim Burton) such as Big Fish, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride. So, when she joined Harry Potter in the second half of the franchise, she fit right in as key player, Bellatrix Lestrange. After Deathly Hallows Part 2, she has continued doing a bit of the same in movies such as Dark Shadows, Les Misérables and worked in Disney films The Lone Ranger, Cinderella and Alice Through the Looking Glass.

The actress recently starred in the female-fronted Ocean’s 8 as fashion designer Rose Weil in 2018 and will be taking over the role of Princess Margaret from Vanessa Kirby in the upcoming season of The Crown as Olivia Colman follows Claire Foy’s Queen Elizabeth in her middle-aged years.

Julie Walters (Molly Weasley)

What about the Weasley parents? Julie Walters, a.k.a. Molly Weasley is quite the accomplished actress and her fame has only grown since starring as a mother of wizards. She first really turned heads in 1983’s Educating Rita opposite Michael Caine, which earned the both of them Oscar nominations, before earning another nod for her role in Billy Elliot.

While she was doing Harry Potter, Walters starred in Calendar Girls and Mamma Mia! After the franchise was over, she joined Robbie Coltrane with a role as the Witch in Brave and on the Hulu show National Treasure, played Mrs. Bird in the Paddington movies and recently starred in Mary Poppins Returns as Ellen.

Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley)

To finish off this list of the talented main cast of the Harry Potter films, is the other half of the Weasley parents: Arthur Weasley, played by Mark Williams, who was best known for the BBC sketch comedy series The Fast Show for the six years before nabbing a role on the Harry Potter films.

After playing Mr. Weasley in just about every movie, the actor traded out his red hair and guest starred in Doctor Who in 2012 and then scored his own BBC television series Father Brown. The show, currently in its seventh season, is based on books by GK Chesterton about a Catholic priest who solves mysteries in the English countryside.

Oh, how the time turner… turns! Can you believe how the Hogwarts students have grown and adults have grown more distinguished? What do you think of these career shifts since for the actors, have you been following them or did they take you by surprise? Sound off in the comments below!

Gearing up for her role in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Dead of the Night zombies DLC, actress Helena Bonham Carter had fun shaping the phony psychic into a familiar charlatan with some new tricks up her sleeve.

Asked about the pronunciation of Madame Mirela's name during our chat to promote the game, Bonham Carter said the woman is a fraud and probably pronounces it differently every day. But she's certainly an interesting character, one who is perfectly suited to the latest chapter of Zombies for Call of Duty.

Dead of the Night is actually a prequel to the base game's "Voyage of Despair" map from the Chaos storyline. In this latest adventure, the characters are invited to a big party at the estate of Alistair Rhodes, father of Scarlett from the "Voyage" chapter and generally pegged as a big reason for all of this supernatural tomfoolery going on.

This was Bonham Carter's first role in video games, but she said the process of creating the character wasn't so different from her past work.

Bonham Carter's psychic is joined by a military man known as "The Brigadier," a butler by the name of Godfrey and Gideon Jones, a disgraced stage gunslinger. While attending a party at Alistair Rhodes' mansion, these folks happen to be the only ones not turned into crazed creatures of the night. If they want to survive, they'll need to explore the grounds, solve some puzzles and rely on all sorts of cool weapons and magical abilities they find along the way.

For folks familiar with the Zombies mode in Call of Duty, it's a familiar formula at this point. But learning each map's interlocking mechanics is a big part of the fun, with character banter helping flesh out the story and explain who these people are and how they got sucked into a living nightmare. Bonham Carter said it was a new experience, rolling through more than 800 lines of dialogue to tackle all of the events that could be triggered within the map, but one she enjoyed.

If you're looking to invest some of your own time in that "imaginative world," the Dead of the Night DLC is available now as part of the Black Ops 4 season pass. This first major piece of DLC also includes a couple new maps for competitive multiplayer, some new player skins and a re-imagined Zombies map called "Five," pulled from the original Black Ops.

Starring in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's latest zombies campaign, Dead of the Night, actress Helena Bonham Carter thinks one of her previous roles stands a better chance of surviving undead hordes.

So, a powerful witch from the Harry Potter universe with no qualms about killing children, much less party guests who have been turned into zombies, werewolves and vampires? Yeah, she's probably onto something there and knew it when she talked with us to promote the game earlier this month.

In Dead of the Night, Bonham Carter takes on the role of Madame Mirela, a psychic who maybe isn't being all that honest about her supernatural capabilities. She's joined on the cast by Kiefer Sutherland, Charles Dance ad Brian Blessed, who play a disgraced gunslinger, a butler and a brigadier general, respectively.

What's fun about Bonham Carter's character is that she makes a living claiming she has the ability to speak with the dead. In other words, this ill-fated trip to a mansion party will give her the chance to actually interact with creatures from beyond the grave for the first time, though she'll be "making contact" with a super-charged shotgun rather than a crystal ball.

Bonham Carter has played a lot of badass characters over the years, many of whom would probably be well suited to surviving a night of attacks from monsters. The Red Queen from Alice is handy with an ax and Marla, from Fight Club, seems like the type of person who would adapt well to such an insane scenario. And then there's Julia Hoffman, from Dark Shadows, who would definitely have some familiarity with these types of creatures, or even The Corpse Bride, who would probably be ignored completely by waves of fellow zombies.

Despite all of that, Bonham Carter was quick with an answer when asked which of her motley crew of characters would best be suited to take on an estate crawling with monsters. If you want to beat a monster, your best bet is to send a monster of your own, and Lestrange fits that ticket pretty nicely. As the actress points out, Lestrange is fast, tricky and has little trouble using her magic to lay wasted to those who oppose her.

As for the process of recording for a video game, Bonham Carter sounded like she had a lot of fun getting into the role of Madame Mirela for the latest Call of Duty DLC.

If you would like to join her on that adventure, Dead Of The Night is now available as part of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 season pass.

Netflix's Dark Crystal television series just kicked things into high-gear with the announcement of an all-star vocal cast. Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will tell an epic new story that takes place years before the events of the 1982 film.

The prequel series will return viewers to the world Thra by way of an all-new adventure. That adventure will involve three Gelflings who discover the "horrifying secret" behind the power of the Skeksis. They will then set out on an "epic journey" to ignite a rebellion and in turn, "save their world."

Along for the ride in telling that story are some of entertainment's brightest stars. From Game of Thrones to Outlander, television's titans will be joined by major movie stars.

Giving voice to the three main characters are Kingsman's Taron Egerton as Rian, The Witch's Anya Taylor-Joy as Brea, and Game of Thrones' Nathalie Emmanuel as Deet. Quite a dream trio.

Other actors giving voice to Gelfling characters are Outlander's Caitriona Balfe, The Crown's Helena Bonham-Carter, and Trust's Harris Dickinson. No details about their characters have been given, other than they are playing Gelflings.

Joining Nathalie Emmanuel from the Game of Thrones cast is series alum Natalie Dormer. She will voice a Gelfling character along with Hannibal's Eddie Izzard and Star Trek: Discovery's Shazad Latif.

The Gelfing characters will have no shortage of talented actors giving them a voice. The Divergent franchise and Castlevania voice actor Theo James will star alongside Sherlock's Toby Jones. Also starring will be Cloverfield Paradox's Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The actress is no stranger to Netflix shows. Mbatha-Raw previously starred in a highly-acclaimed episode of the streamer's anthology, Black Mirror.

Taron Egerton's Kingsman co-star Mark Strong will join Egerton in voicing a Gelfling in Dark Crystal. Rounding out the cast of Gelflings is the star of the Tomb Raider reboot, Alicia Vikander. Heading up the listed cast of Skeksis and Mystics is The Good Wife's Harvey Fierstein.

Harvey Fierstein will be joined by Star Wars legend and Knightfall Season 2 star Mark Hamill. The OA and Star Trek: Discovery's Jason Isaacs and Game of Thrones' Ralph Ineson will also lend their voices to the Dark Crystal series.

It is possible; Simon Pegg of the Mission: Impossible and Star Trek film franchise will voice one of the Skeksis and Mystics. Joining him will be Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Andy Samberg.

Friends from College and Key and Peele star Keegan-Michael Key and Trapped's Ólafur Darri Ólafsson will also voice characters. Details other than their playing Skeksis and Mystics is not known.

With a cast as epic as the one Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance has put together, it can only be an epic series. Netflix did not reveal an exact release date for the series. It will premiere at some point in 2019. Many shows have premiered on the streaming giant this fall and will continue to in the new year.

This week has been filled with tremendous excitement for fans of Netflix's critically acclaimed drama The Crown. With the central roles having been recast to shift the timeline forward, lots of anticipation has been building around seeing the new actors taking on the royal roles. Earlier this week, Netflix released the first official glimpse of actress Olivia Colman as the Queen in Season 3, and hot on her heels is The Crown's first official look at Helena Bonham Carter's smoky portrayal of Princess Margaret. Here it is:

The Crown maintained royal custom with the Queen making her grand entrance first, and it did not take very long for a glimpse of the new Princess Margaret to follow. What a glimpse it is, too. The image captures Helena Bonham Carter's Margaret in a contemplative pose that has her looking upon her well-manicured fingers while gripping her cigarette's holder. On Twitter, Netflix captured the picture with "hope," which is an interesting word to use, as Margaret's disposition does not particularly appear to be all that hopeful.

Perhaps there is more to it than that. As was the case with fans' first look at the Queen in the upcoming season, the context surrounding a picture can change its meaning entirely. Is that a pleasurable smoke or a stress-filled one? As is the case with all first look stills from a show or movie, it is difficult to completely decipher how well the cast will do in stepping into the roles, especially here, where the roles were so memorably brought to the screen first by other actors.

So far, all of the initial photos are giving rise to great hope the new cast members are capturing the essence of their real-world counterparts with a pizzazz similar to their original portrayers. All of them are tough acts to follow. Thankfully, The Crown did not reserve today's first looks to only include Princess Margaret. The globally renowned drama also shared a look at Ben Daniels as Margaret's husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones. See the image below:

With this particular picture capturing Ben Daniels' Antony looking right into the camera, while holding his own camera, it is quite a different feeling than those inspired by the previous images. It is more in-your-face and slightly haunting as a result.

Still to come is a look at Outlander and Game of Thrones' Tobias Menzies in the role of Prince Philip. There is a lot of buzz surrounding all of the castings, and Philip is arguably one of the most high-profile recasts we've yet to see. There are still more days left in the week, too, so stay tuned.

A premiere date for The Crown Season 3 has not been announced yet. For content with definitive premiere dates on Netflix this year, check out our 2018 Netflix premiere rundown and when you are done reading that, our guide to Amazon Prime's premiere schedule. For new television content, while you wait for The Crown's return, check out CinemaBlend's guide to TV's summer premieres.

Brad Pitt, George Clooney and their pals' remake of Ocean's Eleven is regarded as having one of the coolest casts of all time. But from the looks of things, the female-led Ocean's Eleven remake is going to eclipse its predecessor's team of thespians. Because the ladies that have been assembled for director Gary Ross' fresh take on the heist thriller is truly sensational, according to early reports. Let's take a look at who they've now got on-board.

Sandra Bullock

Arguably the most popular actress in American cinema, the Oscar-winning actress was probably the first name mentioned when the idea of a female-led Ocean's Eleven was first dreamed up. Funny, affable yet still able to add weight and drama to any situation, we're still not 100% sure if Sandra Bullock is taking the titular lead in the remake, which was previously played by her old pal George Clooney and, before him, Frank Sinatra. But the thought of her sparring on screen with her co-stars below makes that question almost irrelevant, and the thought of Ocean's Eleven truly exciting.

Cate Blanchett

After years of showing off her serious acting chops in the likes of I'm Not There, Carol, and The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, Cate Blanchett is clearly now in the market for more laid-back and fun parts with the revelation that she'll follow up her appearance in Thor: Ragnorak with Ocean's Eleven. Like Bullock, she is a fellow-Oscar recipient, but unlike her impending co-star she has two of the accolades. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Blanchett will actually play the Brad Pitt part to Sandra Bullock's George Clooney, while just her mere presence is likely to elevate the performances of her co-stars. Starting with ...

Elizabeth Banks

Is this why Elizabeth Banks recently dropped out of directing Pitch Perfect 3? Almost certainly not. But, according to Showbiz 411, the temptation of starring in such an alluring ensemble has proven too much for the director/producer/actress. It's always good to see Elizabeth Banks on screen, and with Bullock and Blanchett likely to be leading the way in Ocean's Eleven, Banks reportedly is set to be deployed as the third lead of the film. Matt Damon previously took this role in Ocean's Eleven, and Banks has the concoction of wit and dramatic heft to mix it with the above actresses without being over-awed.

Helena Bonham Carter

It's a scientific fact that every film is immeasurably improved by the inclusion of Helena Bonham Carter. Much more alternative than the above trio of actresses, Helena Bonham Carter will almost certainly bring an unpredictability and edge to the Ocean's Eleven remake, all while easily adding her own elegance and panache to their gang, too. Plus, her English accent will undoubtedly be superior to Don Cheadle's woeful attempt from the previous franchise, which is widely regarded as one of the worst to ever be committed to celluloid.

Mindy Kaling

This is the casting decision that really has me excited for the impending Ocean's Eleven. While deciding that two of the most respected and revered actresses in the world in Cate Blanchett and Sandra Bullock should be included was clearly an easy decision to come to, and bringing in Elizabeth Banks and Helena Bonham Carter wasn't too much of a stretch, too, Mindy Kaling is a lesser known commodity. Sure, she provided a voice in Inside Out, but she's mostly seen as a TV actress and writer, after her work on The Office and The Mindy Project. That doesn't stop her from being downright hilarious, though, and her addition makes Ocean's Eleven more eclectic and immediately more endearing.

For those of you with inferior math skills, that only makes five of what I'm going to assume is Danielle Ocean's posse. Meaning that we have six more casting decisions to be revealed. And I for one can't wait to hear who joins the above quintet. But it actually doesn't matter too much. Because I am already brimming with excitement for the new Ocean's Eleven film, which will hopefully have its cast confirmed soon, for a production start date of 2017, before it's released in 2018. If we have to wait longer than that then I will simply cry.

Long before she was a Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, actress Helena Bonham Carter was a scheming drug addict, or at least she played one on TV. Check out the awesome clip below from a 1987 episode of Miami Vice, in which Carter plays a doctor with a prescription for addiction.

One of Carter’s earliest acting gigs was a two-episode Miami Vice stint during the hit series’ third season. The clip above is from the episode “Theresa,” named after her character Dr. Theresa Lyons, the woman responsible for destroying evidence in an investigation. (Spoiler?) She also happens to be a junkie who’s getting her drugs from Brad Dourif, whom I wish was also in this clip at some point. Weren’t the 1980s fun?

I mean, Carter was 21 years old at the time, and she was already playing a doctor with a drug problem. It usually takes years or at least a childhood acting career to bring that kind of downward spiral about so quickly. In any case, her youthful appearance makes one appreciate just how well she’s aged over the years.

Carter’s acting is pretty subdued in this scene and barely hints at the wide-ranging career to follow. But Don Johnson was certainly on his A-game here, going from simmering to hollering in just one reaction to a nurse’s ignorance. And just look at the sheer disdain on his face.

By the by, there is a startling lack of heart-pumping 1980s synths and electronic drums in this clip, but that’s understandable, since this is a Miami Vice scene built more around drama over flashy action. But dammit, it just made me want to hear Jon Hammer’s theme anyway. Though if we’re being honest, there are few things that don’t make me want to listen to the Miami Vice theme.

NBC shared the clip to promote the Classic TV area of their website, which features hits old and new, like Charles in Charge, The Incredible Hulk and Knight Rider, among many others that are actually newer. They also recently shared this other Miami Vice clip, which features the late, great Dennis Farina as mob boss Al Lombard.

Is it too early to start calling Michael Mann’s Miami Vice film a “classic?” Even if we’re only talking about Colin Farrell’s hair?

I am Jack’s gonzo theory about true identities in David Fincher’s Fight Club.

At least, that’s where we enter the conversation thanks to a seriously detailed breakdown of the existences of the characters in Fight Club that were posted to the Web site JackDurden.com. (Note: the site’s currently down, thanks to a Twitter referral by Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk. I’m not 100% certain that’s a vote of confidence in the theory, or just a playful link for fans of the material to, as he says, "have fun.") So what’s the main thrust of the argument? Obviously, stop reading this is you haven’t yet seen or read Fight Club, and still want to go into the story unspoiled.

The site maps out all of the reasons why Helena Bonham Carter’s antagonistic love interest, Marla, is a figment of Jack’s (Edward Norton) imagination… much like Tyler (Brad Pitt) exists only in Tyler’s mind. They are all one person. They are all "Jack," our story’s narrator.

The evidence seems to be everywhere in Fincher’s movie, starting with the way that Marla dresses in similar clothes to Tyler, and shows up in places women normally wouldn’t appear. Like, for example, a support group for people with testicular cancer.

There’s a key scene that the author, identified by Chuck Palahniuk as Jeffrey Kalmikoff, returns to repeatedly when making the point that Marla’s gender swaps with Jack’s gender over the course of the movie. The scene takes place in a Laundromat, where Marla takes "multiple pairs of men’s jeans" out of a Speed Queen dryer, then promptly sells them at a vintage clothing store. As the site suggests this is the point where Jack is becoming Marla, "selling" his masculinity (pants) in a figurative manner.

Do you buy it? There are literally dozens of other examples that JackDurden.com points to in an effort to illustrate the notion that Marla doesn’t exist, and that she’s just as much a part of Jack as Tyler is/was. Some of them are a stretch. Others had me scratching my head and itching to go back to Fight Club and see how much of it was included by David Fincher intentionally. The share by Palahniuk has to be read as a ringing endorsement. I’d love to hear Helena Bonham Carter’s opinion of this bizarre Fight Club theory. Think she has read it yet?

On New Year’s Eve, as the clock struck midnight, partygoers welcomed 2015 with music, dancing and probably lots of drinking. But if you eyeballed the exits, you might have seen a beautiful Cinderella fleeing the premises to get home before the clock turned to 12. That’s why Disney chose last night as the perfect time to reveal brand new footage from their upcoming fairy tale, Cinderella, and you can watch it below:

The Twitter feed is a good follow if you want to know more about Kenneth Branagh’s planned reimagining of the classic Cinderella story. But Disney wasn’t finished sharing. They also dropped this "Legacy" featurette on Yahoo Movies, explaining how the cast and their director approached the making of the film, given the timeless nature of the material. It’s a great watch:

Truthfully, everything I’m seeing about Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella has me more excited for his finished work. Even though it has Helena Bonham Carter, it doesn’t appear as cartoonish and empty as the live-action take on Alice in Wonderland. (Branagh and Tim Burton operate on different playing fields, for starters.) This movie could do for Cinderella what Maleficent did for Sleeping Beauty.

Disney has a different version of Cinderella in theaters at the moment. Anna Kendrick is playing the classic fairy tale princess in Rob Marshall’s Into the Woods, though she is sharing screen time with at least five other storybook characters. Kenneth Branagh’s movie will give the glass-slippered starlet a chance to shine in her own spotlight, and possibly make a major star out of Lily James, who plays the title role. Here’s the initial trailer the studio released:

Cinderella opens in theaters on March 13.

If you’ve been keeping tabs on Steve McQueen following 12 Years a Slave, you should know that the director has signed on with HBO to produce a pilot called Codes of Conduct. This week, the potential drama cast two more big names, signing on both Helena Bonham Carter and Rebecca Hall.

Codes of Conduct will focus on uppercrust New York society, and it’s no surprise that Bonham Carter and Hall will both be a part of that high-end world. Bonham-Carter is expected to play a divorced mother in the series who wants to live life “on her own terms.” She’ll also have two grown children. According to Variety, Hall has signed on to play the daughter of a New York billionaire.

Helena Bonham Carter and Rebecca Hall aren’t the first names cast in Codes of Conduct. When HBO started moving forward with the drama project, we learned the drama would look into an African-American man living in New York City who enters the ranks of the city’s elite. McQueen spent roughly a year looking for the right individual to cast and this October he found him in Devon Terrell, a newcomer with no professional acting credits. Terrell will play Beverly Snow, a young man with a mysterious past who will spend time learning the ropes in high society. Paul Dano was also recently added to the project.

McQueen will be involved in a way that is similar to how Martin Scorses approaches his HBO projects, as he is working on a film project right now, as well. Steve McQueen will be executive producing the project and will also direct the pilot for HBO. (This is what Scorsese did with Boardwalk Empire and will do with the upcoming rock ‘n’ roll project.) McQueen will co-write with Matthew Michael Carnahan. Finally, Iain Canning, Carnahan, Emile Sherman and Russell Simmons will executive produce.

Hall and Bonham Carter are mostly known for movies roles, but this TV gig isn't hugely outside the box for either lady. Hall has recently appeared in Transcendence, Iron Man 3 and The Awaking, although she did appear in the Parade’s End miniseries a couple of years ago. Bonham Carter’s been in the biz a lot longer and often appears in husband Tim Burton’s films, including Big Fish, but she’s also taking a variety of film roles, including appearing in the Harry Potter movies and The King’s Speech. On TV, she also recently played Elizabeth Taylor in Lifetime’s Burton & Taylor.

Codes of Conduct, with its high-profile names, sounds like it could be a good fit for HBO. We’ll let you know if the show moves beyond the pilot phase and nabs a series order.

English ingénue Carey Mulligan broke onto the international stage in 2009 with her Academy Award-nominated turn in An Education. Since then, she's shown a passion for tackling daring dramas, from the sci-fi-infused love triangle tale Never Let Me Go to Steve McQueen's nymphomaniac character study Shame, and Nicolas Winding Refn's ultra-violent romance Drive. Now she's giving voice to the early feminist movement with her upcoming drama Suffragette.

Collider shares the first still from Suffragette, which shows Carey Mulligan in turn-of-the-century attire, raring for a fight at a "Votes for Women" rally. At her side appears to be Romola Garai, and tucked under that dreadful big hat hides Helena Bonham Carter.

Screenwriter Abi Morgan, who has previously adapted history into female-fronted dramas with The Iron Lady and The Invisible Woman, found her inspiration for Suffragette, not in the genteel upper class ladies most often associated with the movement, but with the working class women who believe peaceful protests would get them nowhere. Suffragette centers on the blue-collared women of Britain who fought ferociously to win their right to vote as the 19th century turned over to the 20th.

Carey Mulligan fronts Suffragette as Maud, a foot soldier in this battle for the right to vote. She is one of many women who will risk it all--their home, their families, their job, their safety--to confront a corrupt political system that rejects their input and as well as their demand for representation. These radical revolutionaries will turn to violence as needed.

We first reported on Suffragette earlier this year, when the history-inspired drama landed some serious star power in the form of 18-time Academy Award nominee (and three-time Academy Award-winner) Meryl Streep. Joining a cast that also boasted Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham-Carter, Romola Garai, Anne-Marie Duff, Geoff Bell, Natalie Press, Ben Whishaw and Brendan Gleeson, Streep signed on to play Emmeline Pankhurst, who is regarded as the leader of the British suffragette movement and has come to be seen as one of the most influential people of the 20th century. With accomplishments like that, who could possibly play her but Streep?

Suffragette earned more headlines in March when it became the first film ever allowed to shoot with the hallowed walls of London's Houses of Parliament. This was a big moment, not just for the film, but also for its director Sarah Gavron, a British filmmaker acclaimed for the drama Brick Lane, and now forever a part of the U.K.'s film history.

Production has since wrapped on Suffragette, and the film slated to open in the United Kingdom on January 16th, 2015. But it's suspected that this star-studded drama that could easily speak to today's political climate could make its world premiere at one of the illustrious film festivals coming up this fall. Perhaps the Toronto International Film Festival or the New York Film Festival? We'll keep you posted.

Tim Burton won't be coming back to direct the upcoming sequel to Alice in Wonderland, instead handing the reigns over to Muppets Most Wanted director James Bobin, but the same can't be said about his two most frequent actor collaborators. It was revealed last November that Johnny Depp will be coming back to reprise his role as The Mad Hatter, and today Variety reports that Helena Bonham Carter, who played the Red Queen, is in negotiations to come back as well.

Titled Through The Looking Glass, the new film is expected to be based on the novel of the same name by Lewis Carroll, which follows Alice as she enters a mysterious parallel universe after stepping through the mirror hanging above her fireplace. Mia Wasikowska will also be back to reprise her role as Alice, and Sacha Baron Cohen is in talks to play the central antagonist. Linda Woolverton, who also scripted Burton's Alice in Wonderland is currently working on the script.

Carter underwent an extremely heavy makeup process every day she was shooting on the first film, which took a long time to apply. She must have really enjoyed playing the part if she's willing to go through all of it again (or they are giving her a sizable bonus).

With three original castmembers now on board Through The Looking Glass, the obvious question becomes "Who else will join?" Unfortunately that's not a question we can really answer right now. Variety says that at this time it's unknown whether actors like Anne Hathaway or Alan Rickman will be returning for the sequel - or even if they're needed in the story.

In addition to the Alice in Wonderland sequel, Bonham Carter has a number of high-profile projects coming up. Soon she will be seen as part of the excellent cast of the BBC film Salting The Battlefield with Ralph Fiennes and Bill Nighy, and then in 2015 she has both Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella, where she will play the Fairy Godmother; and Suffragette with Meryl Streep and Carey Mulligan.

Disney has set Through The Looking Glass for a May 27, 2016 release date, which means that production could start up as early as the end of this year.

Helena Bonham Carter is certainly no stranger to fantasy and fairy tale films. Not even counting the films she's done with Tim Burton - including Alice in Wonderland, Big Fish, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - there's still the Harry Potter films, in which she played the evil/insane Bellatrix Lestrange. And now she's getting ready to add yet another title to her long genre record.

Disney has announced that Helena Bonham Carter has officially signed on to play the Fairy Godmother in the upcoming live-action adaptation of Cinderella. Set to be directed by Kenneth Branagh, the film stars Downton Abbey's Lily James as the titular heroine, Cate Blanchett as her evil stepmother, and Game of Thrones' Richard Madden as Prince Charming. The classic story follows a young woman who is horribly mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters. On the night of the Royal Ball, which she cannot attend due to her terrible family, she is visited by her fairy godmother, who grants her wish, allowing to go to the party. There she meets the prince and sweeps him off his feet, but when the spell ends at the midnight she is forced to flee, sending him on a mission to find her.

Bonham Carter actually lived with Branagh in the mid-to late 1990s and they collaborated on two projects during that time. In 1994 she played Elizabeth in his directed adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and then in 1998 they co-starred in Paul Greengrass' The Theory of Flight. You can get a sampling of their performance together in the movie's trailer below.

While it's been a few months since we've last seen Bonham Carter on the big screen, last seen in Tom Hooper's Oscar winning adaptation of Les Miserables, the drought will be over very soon. At the start of next month she'll be seen alongside another frequent collaborator, Johnny Depp, in Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger. She has also completed work on director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's family adventure The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet, a French Canadian film currently in post-production. As for small screen work, she wrapped on the BBC TV movie Burton & Taylor, in which she will play famed actress Elizabeth Taylor alongside Dominic West as her husband Richard Burton. She is also attached to star in David Hare's star-studded upcoming BBC efforts Salting the Battlefield and Turks & Caico. The projects co-star actors including Ralph Fiennes, Bill Nighy, Ewan Bremner, and Judy Davis.

This fall and winter will offer a flood of flashy adaptations of classic novels. First, Andrea Arnold delivers a new take on Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights; next Joe Wright will debut his buzzed-about interpretation of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Then Tom Hooper will likely steamroll all other potential Oscar nominees with his star-stuffed production of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. Yet to be determined is when Mike Newell will unveil his adaptation of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations in the States. The period piece drew praise at its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, but does not yet have a release date Stateside.

The love-soaked saga centers on a poor young orphan called Pip whose life is changed forever when people of means take notice of him. Miss Havisham, a twisted old maid obsessed with her own heartbreak, calls upon the boy to be the playmate/plaything of her devoted daughter Estella, a chilly little girl who steals Pip's heart but refuses to offer hers in return. Yet Pip believes their love story will have a happy ending, and is spurred on when an anonymous donor pays his way through finishing school, making him a proper gentleman.

War Horse's Jeremy Irvine plays the grown Pip. Holliday Grainger of The Borgias tackles the role of his cold-hearted love Estella, while Helena Bonham Carter steps out of the world of wizards and Tim Burton to play Miss Havisham. But the grand cast also includes such luminaries as Sally Hawkins, Jason Flemyng, Ralph Fiennes, and Robbie Coltrane, all of whom can be spotted below in the latest UK trailer courtesy of Empire:

The score is lovely, the art design alluring, and the promise of its performances intoxicating, and yet this trailer makes me wonder how many times Helena Bonham Carter has died in a fire in a movie. By my count, it's three: this, Sweeney Todd, and Frankenstein. Still, that's two twisted adaptations that were weirdly engrossing, so game on Great Expectations.

Given that her type is something like "crazy Victorian witch woman," it's amazing how many roles Helena Bonham Carter turns out to be perfect for. She's the perfect Bellatrix LeStrange in Harry Potter, the perfect Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, the perfect Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, and now perfect as yet another character snagged from literature, Great Expectations' Miss Havisham. Deadline has posted the first images of Bonham Carter in the new adaptation of the Dickens novel, from former Harry Potter director Mike newell no less. Check them out below or in super high res at Deadline:

Yup, that's what Miss Havisham looks like all right. In case you somehow missed Great Expectations in 10th grade English, Miss Havisham is the spectral sort-of villain of the piece, a woman jilted on her wedding day who then adopts a young girl, Estella, and teaches her to break the hearts of men the way Miss Havisham's was broken. Estella's victim turns out to be the hero, Pip, who meets her as a child and loves her fruitlessly for years. Jeremy Irvine, star of the upcoming War Horse, plays Pip in this adaptation, and the cast is rounded out by a ton of other British talents, including Harry Potter alums Robbie Coltrone and Ralph Fiennes, plus Sally Hawkins, David Walliams and newcomers Holliday Grainger as Estella.

Lionsgate UK will be handling distribution on that side of the ocean, releasing it in fall of next year timed to Dickens's 200th birthday, but they're still looking for a distributor in the United States. Releasing pictures of Bonham Carter that look like that, no matter how terrifying, will probably help them set up a deal. Who doesn't want to see her swanning around a crumbling mansion looking like the jilted bride from hell?

Well, the rollercoaster existence of the live-action, English language Akira remake is finally starting to even itself out, having gotten the greenlight early last week. Tron: Legacy’s Garrett Hedlund may take on the lead role of Kaneda, but the rest of the rather large cast has yet to be filled, save for two roles.

Twitch has it that the Dark Knight star Gary Oldman and long-time Tim Burton collaborator and child-bearer Helena Bonham Carter have both been offered pretty big roles. Oldman could step into the role of the Colonel, leader of the government team running tests on the people who exhibit psychic capabilities. He sounds like a baddie, but his role becomes a bit more complicated. Carter will play Priestess Miyako, ally to the resistance and former psychic test subject.

With these two on board, this remake definitely got itself some much needed credibility. Producers and director Jaume Collet-Serra need to keep up this trend and continue adding great talent so this young director has less to worry about. The real questions left for fans are who will play the film’s pivotal character of Tetsuo, the character who undergoes the most change and will demand the most range from the actor, and who will step into the small but very important role of Akira himself?

Akira is a film whose remake could be incredible. It’s an amazing story with huge scope, but the project is very ambitious considering the depth of the subject matter and the expanse of the special effects. There’s a lot to mess up with Akira, but we’re trying to stay positive for the time being. More on this as casting moves forward.

Sidenote: Just as crucial as having talented actors, Akira will need an amazing composer. The original 1988 film’s soundtrack is as much a character as anyone else in the film and is one of the best scores ever created. It’s intense, and whoever lands that job here will need to bring that sort of intensity to the remake.

I don't know how long Warner Bros. can keep up this series of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 character posters-- is Voldemort's snake Nagini going to get her own next, or maybe every single member of the Weasley family?-- but there's a new one out today, this one featuring the evilest of evil witches, Bellatrix Lestrange. Played once again by Helena Bonham Carter, Bellatrix doesn't hold a candle to Voldemort's importance in the final moments of the series, since all seven books lead up to Harry's final conflict with the Dark Lord and both J.K. Rowling and the film will milk it for all its worth. But she does hold her own in the climactic Battle of Hogwarts, and inspires one of the best threats in the entire series-- you know exactly what I'm talking about if you've read the books.

Check out the intimidating poster below, and for the full collection that's been released so far-- there are a lot of them!-- check out the gallery in our Blend Film Database.

Last week I was - for lack of a better word - outraged when it was reported that Harvey Weinstein has intentions to censor The King's Speech in order to achieve a PG-13 rating. Without repeating myself too much, my rant included points about the film already making plenty of money at the box office, the ridiculous standards of the MPAA and how there isn't a single informed parent that wouldn't take their 13 year old to see the movie. Now director Tom Hooper has chimed in about the story and, surprise, surprise, he's none to happy about it either.

EW spoke with the director before the Directors Guild Awards this past Saturday (where he won the coveted top prize) and when asked about the possibility of editing his film. his answer was quite straightforward: "I wouldn’t support cutting the film in any way." He did, however, offer another possible outcome to the whole situation, which would see the curse words in the film bleeped out, though no decisions have yet been made.

Also at the event was actress Helena Bonham Carter, who has received an Oscar nomination for her performance. When asked about the possibility of the film being censored, she responded as any normal, rational person would.

I don't know about you, but if I was in a movie theater and all of a sudden heard a bunch of bleeps, I'd ask for my money back. It's fine when it's done for comedic effect, a la Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, but it would be absolutely ridiculous in a movie like The King's Speech. One would think that if the director and one of the film's Oscar nominated stars has a problem with the film being edited, that Harvey Weinstein would back off. Shame that's not the way the movie world works.

Tom Hooper already proved recently to audiences that he has a knack for telling historical stories with warmth, humor and humanity, directing the HBO miniseries John Adams to 13 Emmy nominations and universal acclaim, even from people who thought they'd seen enough of our Founding Fathers. Now he's back across the pond in his native England but doing it again as the director of The King's Speech, a film about England's King George VI and the debilitating speech impediment he overcame just as his country was on the verge of entering World War II. It sounds stuffy, sentimental and over-serious but The King's Speech is the opposite of all those things, a dynamic and frequently thrilling story about friendship and duty and a man who would have been ordinary except for the extraordinary circumstances of having to become King. George was forced to take the throne when his older brother David (played by Guy Pearce in the film) abdicated in order to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson; George's eldest daughter, Elizabeth, went on to succeed him as Queen after his death in 1952.

I talked to Hooper a few weeks ago, both in a 1:1 interview and a roundtable conversation later on, where he proved that it takes whip smarts, careful consideration of everything and a willingness to embrace humor to make a film as engaging and enjoyable as The King's Speech. Check out our conversation below, and see The King's Speech opening in limited release this Friday-- though, given the amount of Oscar buzz the movie has garnered so far, you'll definitely be hearing more and more about it in the coming weeks.

How do you access historical stories like this in a way that doesn't make it feel like history?

I don't see it as history. To me this story is pretty present. The writer David Seidler was born in 1937, still remembers these speeches during the war. David had a stammer as a child, and he used to listen to King George VI on the radio to assure himself he could overcome it. I've never thought they weren't human beings. I don't understand that there's a way to look at them apart from human beings. When I did John Adams I was aware that American children thought these founding fathers were so on a pedestal that they found it hard to imagine them as flesh and blood. Since I'm not an American I had the freedom to not be inhibited by that.

Were you more inhibited telling the story of the King then?

No, because we still don't know that much about him. And in some ways he's been a little neglected in the public consciousness. I certainly think, I was pretty vague about whether he had a stutter or not, and certainly no one knows about the story of the speech therapist. I appear to be drawn to iconic characters and what they reflect back to our cultures. It's not why I did it, but I certainly think it's interesting that the English are quite conflicted about the monarchy; on one hand they're revered and loved, they're like a national soap opera. On the other they enshrine an idea of class difference and privilege in a modern, progressive democracy. I think what's so fascinating about the story [in The King's Speech] is it debunks any simplistic notion of privilege. George VI's story properly understood is not a story of privilege; his upbringing was so nightmarish that he got a stammer as a result. When he became king, clearly that was a nightmare because of his stammer, because of the coming of radio as a technology. So if he's not privileged, the monarchy has to shift as a result. And you understand the current Queen if you understand her father, that sense of duty and that sense that it's the opposite of a hedonistic approach to power. It's very much about his idea of duty, which I don't think we have particularly strongly in our culture anymore.

How did you pick Colin Firth to play King George VI?

When I first met with Colin, my reservations were that he was 10 years too old. And Colin's a big strapping lad of 6'2, and the real king was smaller and more sickly looking. The more I thought about it and spent some time with Colin, though, the more the spiritual similarity was more important than the physical thing. Colin is nice to his core, and he's tremendously gentle, he's got a tremendous humility. And the real king, from my research, seems to be that. It's no surprise Colin isn't cast as a testosterone-fueled action hero. He doesn't get cast as the bad guy. It's not in his DNA. The physical side in a way came out of that. Thanks to Tom Ford he was the slimmest he's ever looked, and then I worked on his body language. We sat in a chair and he would shrink into it, collapse into himself. When he stood he stood in a more awkward way. I tried to get out of him his physical confidence in his posture. The most extraordinary day for me was the first day, the first day they meet, that long 10-minute scene that always plays so well in the theater. We'd had a three-week rehearsal, which is incredibly intense. To see Colin and Geoffrey inhabiting their characters from day one of the shoot. There's always that doubt wondering, "is he one of the greats or is he just very good?" That day I knew he was one of the greats.

And how about Helena Bonham Carter?

I fell in love with Helena in A Room with a View when I was a teenager. She's a great classical actress, and I thought it was sad that she hadn't done classical acting for so long. I thought people would be hungry to see her do that again. I grew up with a picture of her on a poster on my wall in A Room With A View, though I have to admit the photograph of the Panavision platinum camera, that was on the same poster, was far bigger than she was. And her research was amazing. Every time I went to her and Tim's house there would be another royal historian having supper with her. What's extraordinary is two minutes in you accept that she's the Queen Mother.

And what did Geoffrey Rush add to the cast?

He's great to work with because he's got this extraordinary enthusiasm. He's got the energy of a five-year-old child. You work with someone who's completely tireless in their pursuit of excellence We had a three-week rehearsal partly because Geoffrey called me up and said, "I"m not doing anything, why don't we get started?" All while his agent was defending him coming up only a week before. He wanted to get started. It was interesting working with these two men, because Colin is very funny but he's quite reserved, and Geoffrey has this great dynamism. There was such an energy going on. Geoffrey was there for four weeks and then he left to go do a play, and Colin was kind of in mourning. It was very sweet. Helena got very jealous, 'Oh, you're sad because Geoffrey's left.' She was making jokes that it was a love story and wasn't with her.

How did you work in the younger Elizabeth, and have those little reminders of her relationship with her father, and her becoming Queen?

If anything I lingered on it a bit more in the edit, I tested the film and particularly American people didn't make the connection, didn't realize it was the queen. I think it's a shame if you don't realize it's the queen, and I think it's a shame if you don't realize that's her father, because there's something interesting in being reminded that's her father. I just made sure the camera gave her more status and gave people that reminder.

Are we supposed to have negative feelings about Wallis Simpson at the end of the movie?

I wanted to connect with the story from the younger brother's point of view. If you're Elizabeth and Bertie, what David did was shockingly selfish. And we know from the history books that he never sat down to talk about his decision to abdicate in advance. I wanted to connect with the story from their point of view. Both men had these strong relationships with women who dominated them. With the Queen Mother I think the dominance was benign, and with Wallis it was a slightly darker flavor. Guy Pearce and I thought there was a strong driver there with the notion of sexual jealousy. The great mystery is why he had to marry her. I know that sounds strange, but Edward VII, his grandfather, had a string of long-term mistresses. So you kind of go, no one would have batted an eye if he kept Wallis as his mistress his entire life. The clue is that during the abdication process Wallis said, "Let's break up, it's crazy for you to do this," and that enraged him and made him more determined to marry her. Which suggests he wanted the kind of closure, to make her safe and to own her. That's my own reading of it, but I think of that famous shot of them in later life, and they look so sad.

The cinematography, and the way the camera is place and the colors, there's this interesting thing going on that I couldn't quite put my finger on. The way characters are placed within the frame, it feels less stuffy and in the past.

Well partly it's that I chose to shoot the close-ups in the consulting room and on Bertie on relatively wide lenses. Normally you shoot close-ups on these long lenses, in Hollywood. By placing the camera close, it's quite brutal on the actor. It's very forensic, there's nowhere to go. You have this sense that it's very brutal photography. You don't go long lenses, it's not romantic, it's not soft focus. I did it because I thought Colin's face should be framed in relation to negative face, and Geoffrey should be framed in relation to cluttered domestic backgrounds. In the first consulting room scene, Colin's up against this blasted wall, he's in the bottom left and the wall is dominant. His face is in dialogue with negative space in the frame, and that was because I wanted to find a way to talk about absence and silence. If you have a stammer it's about inhabiting these painful absences and silences. That would be a visual metaphor for what stammering is like. But when you go around to Geoffrey, he's got the fireplace and the chairs and the clutter and the pictures, and it's kind of cozy. Also shooting wide on people brings the environment constantly into the frame; people don't escape their environment. There's probably a modernity in that that I quite liked. I'm always trying to find ways of making this feel present tense to people. In John Adams there's lots of stuff, like the handheld photography and the roughness of the photography. I wanted the filmmaking to feel very not reverential.

R But in The King's Speech the framing is also very formal, and has well composed frames. Is that reflecting the royalty element?

You're right, there's a constraint in them. THere's a huge amount of intention in my farming. I frame things myself, and there's very strong choose made. And I liked putting Colin in these frames that felt decisive, because he's in this box himself.

What are your thoughts on the MPAA giving an R rating?

i think it's really bizarre. You can kind of go, "One fuck means PG-13, two fucks means an R." And they don't go "One guy shot in the head means PG-13, two guys means R." It's an argument that you can quantify language and can't quantify violence, and I find that highly suspect. Language is highly contextual, and here we've got the F-word being used in speech therapy. It's been used purely as a mechanism to free someone from a stammer. David Seidler, the writer, encountered this technique as a child in the 1940s. You think, OK, it was a OK in the 1940s for a kid, it's possibly OK in 2010.

Have you been able to soak in any of the early Oscar buzz?

Call me old-fashioned, but this still hasn't made a dollar at the box office. I'd like to get to the release, have it try and make sure people go and see it, and then worry about that next year. I've sat down in audiences, and it's such a fun film to see in a big group. I want people to see it in the cinema en masse as a common experience, and not wait for the DVD.

I really, really regret missing The King's Speech at the Toronto International Film Festival last week, not just because everyone I know who saw it loved it, but because it's suddenly been slapped with the "Oscar frontrunner!" label among the dozen or so media people who have seen it. If you doubt that can be true, take a look at the film's first trailer, which debuted today at Yahoo!. It won't even take you until the Nazis show up to realize this is one of those movies the Academy is going to go nuts over.

It helps that I hear the movie is actually good, because honestly, this trailer is so polished, sentimental and downright stuffy I'd otherwise be willing to write it off entirely. By all accounts Colin Firth is spectacular as the English King George VI, and Geoffrey Rush is his equal as the Australian speech therapist who helped the royal overcome his stammer. Helena Bonham Carter also shows up as the Queen, and it's at least a relief to see her playing something other than Harry Potter's Bellatrix Lestrange or whatever other monstrosity Tim Burton has cast her as lately.

Anyway, check out the trailer below and keep in mind that critics are loving this thing-- and not just the kind of critics who always love stuffy British period pieces-- before judging it. It won the Audience Award at Toronto, like Slumdog Millionaire before it, and therefore there must be plenty here that we're not quite seeing on the surface.

Though we live in a society where women are granted and assumed to be the equals of men, somehow that notion still hasn’t caught on in Hollywood. Most of our glass ceilings have long since been shattered except in our movies where, let’s face it, women are usually second class citizens. Sure in our films strong female characters exist, but more often than not they only exist in the service of procreation or in the bettering of men. Sandra Bullock has an Oscar nomination for playing just such a character in The Blind Side: a strong, confident woman in a movie about how she made a man become a better football player. Or there’s Carey Mulligan nominated for her work in An Education, where she plays a young girl who chooses love over higher education. It’s only when it doesn’t work out for her that she picks up a book and decides to plan a life. On screen, independent women are all too often only something that happens when they can’t get pregnant. Or at least that’s the explanation offered for Meryl Streep’s strong-willed Julia in Julie & Julia.

Movies about women who choose to think for themselves rather than accept their pre-determined societal roles exist, but these films are rarely accessible, especially to younger audiences. Instead your daughter probably spends her time idolizing Disney’s princesses, most of whom exist solely to service love. It’s a great way to teach your kid to put on makeup, but if you’re hoping for offspring with substance her options for real, feminist role models in entertainment are pretty sparse. I’m not suggesting you raise a daughter who doesn’t shave her arm pits, but perhaps just once in awhile, a little balance is order.

This weekend you’ll have the chance to tip the scales back towards independent women by taking your family, and most importantly your daughter, to see Alice in Wonderland. It’s far from a great film, but it does something no other family movie has done in far, far too long by treating women as other than baby makers and potential girlfriends. Tim Burton’s Wonderland is a female dominated world. In another movie, they’d be content to have a woman as the bad guy. In movies, women in power often end up like the Red Queen: vain, petty, heartless things obsessed with their own egos. Except here she’s balanced by Anne Hathaway’s delightful performance as the Red Queen’s opposite and equal, the kindhearted and wise White Queen who inspires loyalty with a strange combination of graceful, timid femininity and fierce, unwavering determination. But most of all, there’s Alice.

Alice’s character arc sets her on a path where she must make a choice. It’s the same choice that Carey Mulligan made incorrectly in An Education really, but for Alice it’s even harder. In the real world it’s Victorian England, an era where women were expected to wear pretty dresses and get married when and where they were told. Wonderland only happens because Alice is at a crossroads. She falls down the rabbit hole right at the moment she’s about to decide whether to fit in, play the subservient woman, or stand up and think for herself. Even before she falls we know this is not a woman who would be content with the status quo. Alice thinks and speaks for herself. She believes in six impossible things before breakfast. But she’s a woman, and that means she should sit down and shut up, doesn’t it?

Inside Wonderland something magical happens to Alice and I’m not talking about smoking out with the Blue Caterpillar. The Mad Hatter calls it rediscovering her muchness, but it’s really about finding the courage to be the person she truly wants to be, society be damned. Inside Wonderland Alice consistently, even at her lowest of lows, stands up for herself and refuses to give in. Sometimes what’s happening doesn’t make sense, but she’s a consistently strong character who is on a path to realizing the courage she needs to exercise the strength that’s already inside her. And at the end of the film when she straps on a suit of armor and goes into battle, it’s not to protect a bunch of babies or to fight her way to the perfect man. It’s not even really to defend her friends. Alice fights for herself, for the freedom to be who she is. Once back in the real world, her muchness rediscovered, that’s exactly who she is. Absolutely Alice.

What’s really great about Alice is that she does all of that while hanging on to those princess trappings your daughter surely loves. This isn’t Angelina Jolie wearing cargo pants and shooting things with guns; that’s primarily a male fantasy, not a female one. Burton’s Wonderland imagines from a female perspective. Alice stays distinctly female in both mannerism and appearance as she rushes about changing outfits over and over as she grows and shrinks in a way that’s sure to delight any girl who’s just been swapping outfits on her Barbie. Her hair hangs long, flowing, gold locks even when it’s utterly unpractical; such as when wielding a Vorpal blade in a suit of armor. Alice is, in a sense, the first truly feminist Disney princess and your kids are sure to latch on not only to the character, but her wholly positive message, without even knowing it.

Yet it’s not all message here. What Alice really is, is the ultimate father daughter movie. It’s packed with eye-popping effects and Tim Burton’s all too nearly over the top tendency towards the macabre, along with the pefect girly stuff to hook in your kid. Dad’s will dig Alice’s fight with the Jabberwocky and the movie’s trippy 3D and in the process, feel good about taking your daughter to something which won’t cause her to marry some convenience store asshole with a Camaro. Tim Burton knew what he was doing here, from the movie’s poppy, tween Avril Lavigne credits song to its ribald sense of humor. Sometimes it’s clumsy, sometimes it’s silly, and because of that Alice in Wonderland isn’t a great movie, merely good. But it is a great father daughter just sitting out there, waiting to happen. Don’t let your daughter grow up without Alice in Wonderland. Things being what they are in Hollywood, there may never be another movie like it.

Colin Firth, who has made a career out of playing the slightly nervous love interest, may be headed for an Oscar nomination with a new kind of role in A Single Man. But when that's over, he will be playing one of the most famous stammering, nervous men in history-- King George VI, the British royal who took over the throne when his brother Edward abdicated, and eventually gave birth to the current Queen Elizabeth II.

In The King's Speech, Firth will play the young George as he struggles to overcome his speech impediment, with Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue, the King's speech therapist. Today's Variety announces that a whole slew of people have joined the cast as well-- Helena Bonham Carter, Jennifer Ehle, Guy Pearce, Derek Jacobi, Timothy Spall and Michael Gambon will all be part of the proceedings as well.

If you're counting-- and I know I am-- that's three Harry Potter regulars on that list, giving us a chance to see Bellatrix Lestrange (Carter), Peter Pettigrew (Spall) and Dumbledore himself (Gambon) in an entirely new context. And that's ignoring the fact that this is an impressive lineup of Brits (and two Aussies and an American!), meaning this movie will be on our radar no matter how good it turns out. A king overcoming his speech impediment isn't exactly the most traditional source for a movie, but most of us long ago decided that we'll see Firth in anything, so let's see where he takes us.