Helena Bonham Carter Is to Thank for Bellatrix’s Rotten Teeth
As one of the most formidable villains in the Harry Potter franchise, Bellatrix Lestrange has a number of memorable characteristics. The dark witch is sadistic, wild, brutally savage, and more. Helena Bonham Carter, who portrayed the Death Eater, did a wonderful job of bringing said characteristics to the forefront of her performance. However, she also wanted to ensure that her character’s physical appearance reflected her personality also. This is why she suggested that Bellatrix have rotten teeth.
Why Helena Bonham Carter wanted Bellatrix Lestrange to have rotten teeth
While speaking with Entertainment Weekly in 2010, Helena Bonham Carter revealed how she managed to create such a memorable character. According to the actor, Bellatrix’s teeth helped reveal a bit about her history.
“There wasn’t a huge amount on the page originally,” Bonham Carter shared about how Bellatrix was written. “I think I probably made her a bit more insane and unhinged then she was meant to be. I wanted to be conspicuous. So the [rotten] teeth was my idea, because she had been in prison so long. I wanted her to be quite savage.”
Bonham Carter stole Bellatrix Lestrange’s rotten teeth from set
Bellatrix’s teeth are pretty impossible to miss. This is especially true since the pureblood Slytherin spends a great deal of her time on screen screaming, snarling, or smiling. While the teeth are pretty unsavory to look at, Bonham Carter loved the accessory. Fans who tuned into Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts will recall that the actor even stole a pair from the set.
While speaking with Daniel Radcliffe at the reunion, Bonham Carter pulled out a plastic bag filled with a pair of Bellatrix’s teeth. Seemingly without any regard for the fact that the teeth had been in a bag for over a decade, she popped them right into her mouth. But perhaps the reason that the actor is so fond of the fake teeth is that they truly helped her build her character.
But the teeth weren’t the only physical feature that the Harry Potter alum insisted on for her character. She also weighed in on the costuming that Bellatrix would don in the films. “And I wanted that corset,” she explained. “It was sort of an Amazon thing. Bellatrix means a warrior. I wanted her to be sexy and revolting at the same time. At one point she might have been attractive, but no longer.”
The ‘Harry Potter’ actor also fought for Bellatrix to have messy hair
Bonham Carter also requested that Bellatrix’s hair be messy. This both helped her bring her character to life and also meant that she spent less time in hair and makeup. “Here’s the thing: If you have messy hair, you don’t have to worry all the time about making it all perfect,” Bonham Carter revealed. “It was a lot to do with keeping [the hair and makeup artists] away.”
Clearly, Bonham Carter had a unique vision for her character. And while Bellatrix’s rotten teeth are a bit gnarly to look at, we can’t deny that they suit her character perfectly.
