Helena Bonham Carter wishes her part in One Life was “bigger”
"It was such a great story and I wanted to be a part of it but it’s not a very big part and I wished it was bigger."
Helena Bonham Carter has said that she wishes her part in One Life was “bigger”.
Bonham Carter plays Babi Winton in the true-life period drama about how her character’s son, Nicholas Winton, saved hundreds of Jewish children in Czechoslovakia in the late 1930s as the Second World War was about to break out.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, Bonham Carter detailed her path to the role, commenting: “I was approached about two years ago and I thought it was one of these sort of things that would never happen. Then [Anthony] Hopkins said he was going to be in it. Then Johnny [Flynn]. It just sort of coalesced.”
The Harry Potter star also discussed how she wanted a bigger role in the film: “It was such a great story and I wanted to be a part of it but it’s not a very big part and I wished it was bigger.”
Bonham Carter, who has Jewish heritage and has previously played a role in Holocaust education in the UK, also talked about how her own family’s history relates to the story.
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She said: “The other thing that has to be said is it's sort of in my DNA because I come from, not German, but Austrian Jewish heritage. And on top of that, on both sides, both my grandparents helped a lot of Jewish people get visas out of Nazi Europe. So it was in my DNA.”
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Meanwhile, Bonham Carter also reflected on filming One Life during the height of the Russia-Ukraine war: “When we filmed it, this time last year, it was in the middle of the Ukrainian crisis. So obviously, there were refugee children. That was incredibly relevant when we're forming and now it's smack in the middle of this horrendous situation.”
As well as Bonham Carter, One Life – which is directed by James Hawes – stars Anthony Hopkins and Johnny Flynn as Nicholas Winton with a supporting cast made up of Jonathan Pryce, Romola Garai and Lena Olin.
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One Life is released in UK cinemas on New Year's Day while a digital exhibition curated in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery titled ONE LIFE: Sir Nicholas Winton and Portraits of Kindertransport Refugees is available at npg.org.uk.
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