While she terrorized young viewers with her role as the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland (2010) Helena Bonham Carter also played the devilishly dark witch Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter Movies. Considering how evil her role was in the billion-dollar franchise, Carter left an indelible impression on audiences as a Death Eater.

Although I appreciate the opportunity to play a witch, Harry Potter Films, Helena Bonham Carter also spoke about the challenges she faced throughout the series. In particular, Carter told fans about struggling to wield her iconic crooked wand, which fans would kill for, and mentioned that she attended a school to learn wand-wielding.

Helena Bonham Carter reflected on her path to becoming Bellatrix Lestrange

With a penchant for unconventional roles in critically acclaimed films such as Fight ClubThe Harry Potter Franchise was undoubtedly a hidden paradise for Helena Bonham Carter. In conversation with EWThe British actress shared how thrilled she was to take on the role of menacing villain Bellatrix Lestrange after Helen McCrory had to give up the role due to her pregnancy.

So they came to me and I was thrilled. I love magic, I love witches, I love the whole (Harry Potter) world. I was over the moon to play a witch.

Later, Helen McCrory was cast as Bellatrix’ sister Narcissa Malfoy for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and the two Deathly Hallows Movies. But it was Helena Bonham Carter who caught the attention with her creepy demeanor and rotten teeth as the psychotic sister of the black family. The actress went on to bring Harry Potter’s greatest enemies to the screen and left a lasting impression on audiences.

Originally, there wasn’t much on the page. I think I made her a little bit crazier and more crazy than she should be. I wanted to stand out. So the (rotten) teeth were my idea because she was in prison for so long. I wanted her to be quite wild. And I wanted that corset. It was an Amazon thing. Bellatrix means warrior.

I wanted her to be sexy and repulsive at the same time. She might have been attractive at one point, but not anymore. That’s the point: when you have messy hair, you don’t have to worry about making sure everything looks perfect all the time. A lot of it was about keeping (all the hairdressers and makeup artists) away.

Reflecting on her journey as she physically transformed into the character of Bellatrix Lestrange, Carter gradually opened up about the challenges she faced in channeling her magic. Playing one of the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort’s most zealous servants, Carter admitted she found it difficult to conjure up the fearsome witch with a talent for causing chaos with her wand skills.

Helena Bonham Carter had to go to the gym to wave the magic wand. Harry Potter Films

Well, when fans think of Bellatrix Lestrange, they often picture her as a powerful and chaotic witch. And no doubt Helena Bonham Carter’s portrayal of this iconic villain was convincing enough to make Potterheads dream of wielding a wand like hers and calling forth the menace. Behind-the-scenes anecdotes, however, reveal Carter’s surprising difficulties in wielding her wand.

It turns out that the role of Bellatrix for Helena Bonham Carter was not all dark curses and dramatic flair. The actress had a rather unexpected challenge in mastering the art of wand-waving, which became her frustration. The actress struggled so much with her crooked wand that she was enrolled in a special school for wand-waving. As shocking as it may sound, Bellatrix diligently practiced her swinging and striking moves.

We went to wand school for about three weeks. We took it very, very seriously. I actually got a wand blister on my (middle) finger. They kind of had different names for the different movements, Latin ones. It was kind of based on fencing. You always have to have an intention behind the spell too.

You just feel totally emasculated on set, waving a piece of wood around and nothing coming out of it. It’s very hard to remember that you actually have the intention to kill. It’s not all fun and laughter, it’s actually quite hard work.

Finally, when Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix was allowed to cast a spell in The Half-Blood Prince when she actually set fire to Hagrid’s hut, it was a really exciting moment for her. The actress even compared the destructive power of her wand to a fairly popular game, Angry Birds.

Harry Potter Films will be available on Max from February 2024.