What Really Went On Between Tim Burton And Helena Bonham Carter?
On one level, the 13-year relationship between director Tim Burton and The Crown actress Helena Bonham Carter was the perfect pairing of two consummate professionals. On another level, it was a quirky, off-the-wall space where anything could (and did) happen. The tension between the two worlds made for an interesting relationship, to say the least.
Believe it or not, but English actress Helena Bonham Carter already had a reputation as a homewrecker when she met quirky director Tim Burton on the set of his 2001 film Planet of the Apes. Tim's then-live-in lover actress Lisa Marie was also in the film.
When Burton dumped Lisa in favor of the quirky Bonham Carter, Lisa got her own back in a big way. More of that later.
Burton and Bonham Carter famously had adjoining houses, apparently choosing never to marry, but having two children together, Nell and Billy.
The couple was all loved-up, sure. But they also made movies, lots of movies, together, often in conjunction with Burton's then-go-to actor Johnny Depp.
They seemed like the perfect couple, living life on their own terms. Togetherness, but not too much of it was the byword of their relationship.
And then in 2014, after thirteen years together, they announced an "amicable" split. Burton moved on to a Bond Girl and Bonham Carter has seemingly shown a taste for boy toys.
So, let's have a look at what really went on between Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton.
Homewrecker Meets 'Planet Of The Apes'
Back in the 1990s, actor/director Kenneth Branaugh was married to the English actress Emma Thompson. Then he met Helena Bonham Carter and it was goodbye, Emma. Bonham Carter got a whole lot of bad press for that little move. Still, she and Branaugh were together from 1995 to 1999.
Then in 2001, Helena is cast as a good-ape named Ari in Tim Burton's version of Planet of the Apes.
The only thing was Burton's live-in lover, the blonde actress Lisa Marie was also in the movie. Awkward, we bet.
Some say the affair between Burton and Bonham Carter started even before the movie wrapped. In any event, Burton soon dumped Lisa Marie in favor of the quirky Helena. Lisa's response? She auctioned off everything of Tim's that he had left behind when he moved out of the home they shared. He was up in arms about it!
Moving On: Making Movies And Having Children Together
But that was in 2005. And by that time he and Bonham Carter had a son Billy, who had been born in 2003 and had made four films together, including Corpse Bride and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Burton's go-to actor of the time, Johnny Depp.
From 2001 through 2016 they made some nine films together. In most of them, Bonham Carter played a crazy b***h. Her biggest star turn was in Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016). In both those movies, she played the witchy Red Queen to perfection. She even had her own camera to give her features and body an almost cartoon-like appearance.
Two Houses Are Better Than One
The thing about the couple that seemed to fascinate people was the fact that Tim Burton bought the house next door to Helena's small home in the Belsize Park suburb of London. In 2007, daughter Nell came along. So Tim's place was the family home and Helena's smaller place was her retreat.
Some people thought it a little weird, which it probably was, but it suited the couple. So, what right has anyone got to criticize?
Helena told The Telegraph: "We just have two houses knocked together because mine was too small. We see as much of each other as any couple, but our relationship is enhanced by knowing we have our personal space to retreat to... Tim does snore, and that’s an element." Helena kept both the houses when she and Burton parted ways.
And another very good reason for Helena hanging onto her own little house? Since they have split up, we have also learned that Helena values her privacy. She has called the "divorce" painful, but soon realized the fact that the couple had agreed joint-custody meant that she got whole "time off".
Talking of custody, with all the films the three had done together, some people joked that they wondered which of the couple would get custody of Johnny Depp!
And Now?
Apparently, Burton and Bonham Carter have remained on good terms. A year after the split, Helena said: "I could write a thesis on what's happened and it is all-absorbing when a relationship breaks down, but I think we're coming through it. I think we'll have something very precious still."
And both have moved on. As of 2019, Burton was dating Bond Girl Eva Green. We should mention she is 22-years younger than he is. And Helena? Not to be outdone, she's dating writer Rye Dag Holmboe who, wait for it, is 22-years younger than she is! According to heavy.com, she calls him an "old soul" and says that being romantic and sexy without the fear of having children is so totally awesome. Typical Helena, we think.
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