BEDN - And the winner is... Helena Bonham Carter! (Nov 15th)

Ohai there!

As a result of the current promotional blitz for the film adaptation of 'Les Misérables', I saw Helena Bonham Carter's sullen face glaring back at me. You know the look, the 'I'm going to flay you alive... and I think you're going to like it' stare. Looking into those penetrating eyes, I was reminded of her award acceptance speech at the 2011 BAFTAs, which ranks amongst my favourite awards speeches of all times, even if it's not the most flashy. Before we go any further, take a look:

Heart-warming, eh? Though most wouldn't deem it an instant classic. It's not well-rehearsed, flashy, or particularly clever. But you know what it is? Honest. And honesty trumps all.

There was a point in time where I was totally dedicated to becoming an actor, and I think Helena's speech, really dug at the heart of the profession. She herself is a somewhat ridiculous caricature (along with her hubby Tim) and in a wonderfully meta-moment she manages to mock the ludicrous lives that actors lead and still make it sound like the most appealing thing to do. You have to be a very special kind of person to be able to straddle the divide in such a pressure cooker environment. I am not that person.

She rambles and stumbles as much as the film husband, which only adds to the feeling of earnestness. Her jokes seem off-the-cuff, and she is bursting with charisma. It's a very real speech.

That's all I really wanted to say, as I feel stretching this out more would make this blog too close to its source material. So, I like Helena Bonham Carter: Resident Nut. She still killed George though.

Tara x

P.S.

My favourite HBC performance is actually from a BBC TV movie called 'Toast', where she played the stepmother of a teenage Nigel Slater. Well worth a look if you can find it - tasty drama.

We're halfway through BEDN! I've really enjoyed doing it so far, and I hope to be more exciting in the next few days (probs after tomorrow though, that's not gonna be great.) Keep yourselves involved!