Friday, March 29, 2024

Helena Bonham Carter: “CSI: London” Should Be Her Next Stop

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Helena Bonham Carter should be on “CSI.”

When she’s studying a real life character, HBC has a good trick up her sleeve. She uses her famous aunt, Renata Propper, to analyze the handwriting of any real life people she might be playing in the movies.

For “The King’s Speech,” the highly Oscar buzzed film that opened last night to cheers–literally–at the Ziegfeld, HBC asked her aunt to investigate the signature and cursives of the late Queen Mum, whom she plays so brilliantly in the film.

“I do a lot of research,” Helena told me proudly at post-party, held in the very swankily redesigned 44 restaurant at the Royalton Hotel. (Four stars to the makeover, by the way!)

Helena — in a knockout Vivienne Westwood gown– was surrounded by her relatives, all New Yorkers who emigrated here around 1949 from Britain, as well as her own mum.

Of course, HBC has played a number of kooky characters directed by her husband, Tim Burton, including Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd.” In those cases, Aunt Renata wasn’t able to do the research. “Not the fictional ones,” she advised.

What did they find with the Queen Mum? That she was a powerhouse, of course, who cut right to the chase. You can see it in the movie when it opens on November 24th. And Helena gets her just right–all the way to Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars, without a doubt.

Meanwhile at the “King’s Speech” premiere: famed beauty Marisa Berenson chatted with Harvey Weinstein about her new memoir, which she wrote in French and published in Europe; Christine Baranski congratulated director Tom Hooper, and actor Colin Firth, also also on their way to the Academy Awards; pop star Moby said he was “overwhelmed” by the film. “I thought it was going to be about a speech therapist,” he said, laughing.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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