MoviesOnline sat down with Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway and Michael Sheen to talk about their new movie,
Alice in Wonderland. Directed by Tim Burton, the epic 3D fantasy adventure is based on Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” originally published in 1865 which changed forever the course of children’s literature.
Helena Bonham Carter plays Iracebeth, The Red Queen and tyrannical monarch of Underland, an amalgam of the Queen of Hearts from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and the Red Queen from “Through the Looking-Glass.” With her oversized head, fiery temper and propensity to scream for people’s heads to be chopped off, she rules her subjects through fear. “She’s got emotional problems,” says Bonham Carter. “It takes nothing, practically, for her to lose her temper. Her tantrums are that of a two-year-old.”
Anne Hathaway plays Mirana, The White Queen, and younger sister of the Red Queen, who has designs on the throne and crown that Iracebeth once stole from her. While she appears to be all sweetness and light, beneath the surface there’s a hint of darkness to her character. “She comes from the same gene pool as the Red Queen,” says Hathaway. “She really likes the dark side, but she’s so scared of going too far into it that she’s made everything appear very light and happy. But she’s living in that place out of fear that she won’t be able to control herself.” When Alice returns to Underland, the WhiteQueen takes her under her wing, offering her protection, although her motives aren’t completely altruistic.