Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince trailer is released, we have another new character to talk about. Bellatrix Lestrange is Voldemort’s most loyal servant and the latest vampire to appear in the Potter films:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/meet-the-latest-harry-potter-vampire-bellatrix-lestrang
So far, the most exciting casting news out of the Harry Potter camp has been the announcement that Bill Nighy will be playing Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour. We’ve seen lots of pictures and footage of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and other regulars in the cast.
But we hadn’t seen any shots of Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange until yesterday, when some photos from the set surfaced online at Snitch Seeker.
The pictures show Bonham Carter wearing a long black dress and with her hair styled in an elaborate bun. She looks like a cross between Cruella de Vil and a vampire from Interview With the Vampire.
Bellatrix Lestrange, the evil witch and Death Eater will be played by Helena Bonham Carter. She told BBC News that she was ‘thrilled’ to be cast as the character, and said it was ‘a dream come true’ for her to join the Harry Potter cast.
Bellatrix was an original member of Voldemort’s inner circle, but her loyalties now lie with him alone. A former friend of Sirius Black’s family, she has no qualms about torturing and killing anyone who gets in her way.
Carter is best known for her roles in The Wings of a Dove (1997), Fight Club (1999), and Big Fish (2003). Asked how the role came about she says: “I went up for it – I think I got it because I really wanted it.”
The actress, who has been married to director Tim Burton since 2001, is one of four new characters being introduced in the latest instalment of the Harry Potter series.
It’s the first time Bellatrix has been portrayed in a Harry Potter film, and Helena Bonham Carter is taking on the role.
Bonham Carter, who is currently filming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, recently spoke with Sci Fi Wire about her latest character. Bonham Carter told reporter Patrick Lee that she had been a fan of the books long before she was offered the part.
“I had read all of them,” Bonham Carter said. “I have to say, I’m a sort of closet Potterhead.”
Bonham Carter said that her character, who is Sirius Black’s cousin, will be played “quite straight” in terms of the book. She also noted that Lestrange is “a vampire-type creature” who is slightly more unhinged than most Voldemort disciples.
LONDON (Reuters) – Vampire Bellatrix Lestrange is one of the most feared villains in the Harry Potter books, a sadistic killer with a taste for torture.
In the final two films in the hugely popular series she is played by Helena Bonham Carter, who has carved out a niche playing quirky characters, from Elizabeth I to Sweeney Todd’s sidekick Mrs Lovett.
Bonham Carter said she had been nervous about taking on such an iconic role and accepted only after being reassured that her portrayal would not be too much like the book.
“I thought it was a very dangerous thing to do,” she told Reuters in an interview. “You can’t compete with people’s imagination.”
The role of Bellatrix Lestrange has gone to Helena Bonham Carter, who took on her first foray into the Potterverse in 2005’s Potter and the Goblet of Fire. She was great in that film, but she was playing a relatively small part, and it was clear that she could have done so much more.
Bellatrix is one of the most fascinating characters in the series. Though she’s not very smart, and can be a bit of a bimbo at times, she’s definitely got the look of a villain. She has a wicked sense of humor, but can also be ruthless and cunning when pushed. She is fiercely loyal to Voldemort and will do anything for him, including killing his enemies. Her loyalty to Voldemort goes so far that she even killed her own cousin Sirius Black to prove her devotion to him.
Bonham Carter has said that there are some similarities between herself and Bellatrix. In an interview with MTV News last year, she said: “I think we both have a sense of humor — I know I do — and I think she does too.”
She went on to say that Bellatrix is “not stupid,” but that “she’s just kind of lost inside her own head.” The actress added
