Helena Bonham Carter: 15 Greatest movies of all time

#14. Hamlet

Original release date: Jan 18, 1991

Box office earnings: $20,710,451 (USA gross)

Critical acclaim: 2 Oscar nominations (Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design)

1 BAFTA Awards nomination (Best Actor in a Supporting Role)

About the role: Helena Bonham Carter took on the role of Ophelia early in her career, one of the hardest roles to play in Hamlet. This is one of those merky roles, originally written for men to play, considering it’s a Shakespeare play.

You’ve likely broken down the role of Ophelia in school literature classes. Ophelia is a person torn between family and love. Her heart tells her that Hamlet loves her but her brother and father continue to try to protect her. She’s raised to be a dutiful wife of the time, but to the lead character, she is a sexual object and deceitful lover.

Simply the best: Considering the difficult of the role, Bonham Carter won praise and adoration for her portrayal of Ophelia. She captured everything that the part was about, bringing to life all the different sides to the personality. It’s a story of love, betrayal, and heartbreak, which quickly turns into a story of madness, as she struggles with the dilemma faced between family and love.

You can feel every single emotion that comes from Ophelia through Bonham Carter’s portrayal. It’s like you are her every step of the way. That’s what makes this one of her standout roles of all time.