Helena Bonham Carter on Prominent Bums, Androgyny, and Princess Margaret | Fashion Neurosis

Helena Bonham Carter is an English actress. Known for her portrayals of interesting, singular women, she rose to fame playing Lucy Honeychurch in A Room with a View in 1985, and the titular character in Lady Jane in 1986. In 1999, Bonham Carter broke free of her “English rose” reputation by playing femme fatale Marla Singer in Fight Club. She portrayed the malevolent witch Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter franchise, and more recently played Princess Margaret in The Crown, for which she was nominated for several awards. Helena will star in a new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials for Netflix in January 2026.

Helena Bonham Carter has two children with the director Tim Burton. They met in 2001 on the set of Planet of the Apes, and the couple went on to collaborate on seven films including Corpse Bride and Alice in Wonderland, until their separation in 2014.

Known for her love of bloomers, long skirts and Victorian style, Bonham Carter launched her fashion line The Pantaloonies in 2006. She has starred in campaigns for Marc Jacobs and Prada, and cited Vivienne Westwood and Marie Antoinette as her style inspirations.

Bonham Carter has been the recipient of a BAFTA Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, an International Emmy Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as receiving nominations for two Academy Awards, nine Golden Globe Awards and five Primetime Emmy Awards. She was made a CBE in the 2012 New Year Honours list for services to drama.
In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Helena Bonham Carter discuss androgynous dressing, prominent bums, and the word Cunt being the new compliment.

Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:22 What are you wearing today?
00:05:21 The highs and lows of acting
00:09:38 Wearing period clothing
00:12:10 Delayed entry into adulthood
00:14:35 Androgyny and femininity
00:18:05 Bodily insecurities
00:24:11 Best compliment
00:30:20 The importance of costumes
00:35:31 Pantaloonies
00:37:17 Nudity
00:39:45 Princess Margaret
00:44:22 Handwriting and graphology
00:48:46 Divorce as grief
00:51:31 Helena’s style
00:54:03 If you fancy someone…
00:56:01 Bellatrix Lestrange
00:58:54 Prada short film
01:00:53 Seven Dials and familial inspirations
01:06:03 Outro