Helena Bonham Carter reflected on her time working with Johnny Depp and her ex-husband Tim Burton in the 2007 musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The film brought together the trio for a unique collaboration that put Carter in a rather unusual position—especially when it came to sharing intimate scenes with Depp.
How Helena Bonham Carter Reacted to Kissing Johnny Depp
In Sweeney Todd, Carter played Mrs. Lovett, the partner-in-crime to Depp’s title character, Sweeney Todd. As the storyline evolved, the relationship between their characters took a romantic turn, requiring some close, on-screen moments. Although she was married to Burton at the time, it was this very aspect of the project that felt a little strange to Carter, even more so than to Burton himself.
Burton had initially expressed reservations about casting Carter in the film. Despite their personal relationship, he wanted to make sure that she was right for the role on her own merits. In a previous interview with IGN, Carter shared, “He told me: ‘You look right for it, but we have no idea if you can sing.’” Determined to prove herself, Carter undertook singing lessons, striving to show that she could handle the role without any favoritism due to their relationship.
“I wouldn’t want people saying I got a role in his film just because I slept with him,” Carter joked. “At the end of the day, Sondheim said I was okay… and I definitely didn’t sleep with him!”
Once she secured the role and showed she could handle the vocal challenges, the next hurdle was navigating the romantic scenes with Depp. Despite the strange dynamic—working under the direction of her husband while sharing intimate moments with his best friend—Carter surprisingly didn’t find the experience uncomfortable at the time.
“Maybe it should have been? No… The fact I was being paid by my boyfriend to romance his best friend – it was, I guess, a strange situation, but no, I didn’t worry about it,” she admitted.
‘Sweeney Todd’ Was the Only Time Helena Bonham Carter Felt Argumentative with Tim Burton
While the kissing scenes didn’t bother Carter, the project did strain her relationship with Burton. Sweeney Todd marked the first time the couple had real arguments while working together. Tensions on set rose as they both struggled with the new challenges the musical presented.
“I’d never sung before, he had never done a musical, and it’s that classic thing that you take your stress out on the person who you know best,” Carter explained during her appearance on the Grounded with Louis Theroux podcast. “We really didn’t get on during that one.”
Their professional frustrations bled into their personal lives. Yet, despite the friction, they managed to work through the challenges—so much so that Carter became pregnant during filming, which she humorously referred to, saying, “Amazingly, I got pregnant, but let’s not get into that.”
Depp, caught in the middle of their disputes, often played the role of mediator between Carter and Burton.
“Johnny was caught in the middle,” she recalled. “In the end, I realized I shouldn’t really have any good ideas. If I had a good idea, I should give it to Johnny. If I gave it to Johnny, Johnny would mention it to Tim, and then it was a marvelous idea. If I mentioned it, it would be an absolutely crap idea.”
Despite the tension, Carter found a way to navigate the situation, using Depp as an intermediary to keep the peace on set and continue with the film’s production.
How Tim Burton Changed Helena Bonham Carter’s Acting
Despite their on-set disagreements during Sweeney Todd, the professional relationship between Burton and Carter flourished, leading to several more collaborations. Films such as Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows followed, with Burton continuing to cast Carter in roles that showcased her talent.
Carter has often credited Burton with helping her develop as an actress, particularly when it came to reining in her expressions and learning to do less on screen.
“He’s made me more aware,” she told The Guardian. “He thinks I overact all the time. He’s got a thing about me having a very mobile face. Tim has often said I’ve got hyperactive eyebrows—he calls them the dancing caterpillars. He’s all for minimal expression. He likes to simplify things, I complicate them.”
Their creative partnership was a meeting of different styles. Carter described herself as someone who tended to overthink and offer multiple ideas, which sometimes paralyzed her with indecision. On the other hand, Burton preferred simplicity and was often wary of overcomplicating scenes.
“I think we can do this or this or this—optionitis—then I get frozen because I don’t know which one,” she explained. Burton’s influence taught her to trust her instincts more and embrace the minimal approach he favored.
Helena Bonham Carter’s Influence on Tim Burton
While Burton helped Carter refine her acting approach, she believed her presence also had a positive impact on the famed director. Over the years, she noticed that Burton had become more open and communicative, something she liked to think she contributed to.
“People who know him say I have, and I feel really flattered,” she said. “I made him talk more. He didn’t really talk before. He’s much shyer than me. Every sentence was unfinished. I used to say he was a home for abandoned sentences. Now he actually finishes them.”
The changes they saw in each other were part of what made their partnership—both personal and professional—work for as long as it did. Their relationship may have ended romantically, but the respect and admiration they held for each other remained. Together, they produced some of the most iconic films in both of their careers, even if the process wasn’t always smooth.
In the end, Sweeney Todd was just one chapter in the lengthy collaboration between Carter and Burton. And while the film tested their relationship, it also allowed them to grow, both as artists and as individuals. The unusual dynamic between Carter, Depp, and Burton may have seemed strange from the outside, but for them, it was just another part of their unique working relationship.
