Helena Bonham Carter speaks about new daughter, living with Tim Burton
Actress Helena Bonham Carter, 41, is featured in a new interview with the Evening Standard. She and director Tim Burton welcomed their baby girl five weeks ago — and she’s still nameless, although she won’t be by the end of the week! (In the UK, couples have six weeks to register their child’s name.) Describing the baby and the birth, Helena says,
[She's very tall and smells delicious.] She’s very chilled, with lots of hair, and I’m totally in love. I even loved the birth. I’d do it again in a flash. I just got the drugs, sat back, and enjoyed it. It was all so casual that she didn’t even cry when she came out.
[I had her at St. Mary's, Paddington] and it was like my Christmas holiday — the happiest days of my life have been spent in that hospital. [Since then, I've been in a chair on breastfeeding duty, trying to think of a name.]
The couple had not found out the sex of the baby prior to the delivery, but Helena assumed they were having another boy. Therefore, they came up with names for a son, but none for a possible daughter, which has now left them between a rock and a hard place.
We haven’t got anywhere yet — it took us five weeks to come up with Billy. And we were stunned to have a girl this time. I’m sure I saw a willy on the scan, so we came up with Charlie, Jack, Louis, or Milo.
Much has been made of the fact that Helena and Tim reside in adjoining houses, with a hallway that connects them. Helena reveals,
You turn right to go into Beatrix Potter-land [my French country style side] and left to go into weird-land. [laughs] It’s ideal because we could steer well clear of each other, which is fantastic. He might come in and get the milk, but that was about it.
In any relationship, after the first year is over, you can’t help but want your own space. We have different telly tastes and both work from home. But things obviously aren’t that bad between us, or I wouldn’t have gotten up the duff [pregnant], would I? I’m very happy.
Of course, the two also have son Billy Ray, 4, who has playdates at the house with friends, and sometimes finds interesting things. Helena laughs,
Tim has a full-size waxwork of a dead Sammy Davis Jr. which lies in state in one of the bedrooms. He’s one of Tim’s heroes. Well, one [of Billy's friends] went home and said to her mother, ‘There’s a dead black man upstairs.’ Luckily, [her mother] is one of my best friends.
Despite the somewhat odd upbringing, Helena says she and Tim want their kids to have jobs other than acting once they’re adults.
I want them to be lawyers or accountants. I don’t think any actor wants their children to follow them into the profession.
Next up for Helena is reprising her role as Bellatrix Lestrange in the next installment of the Harry Potter film series, which starts production in February.
I quite like the anarchic role, and the good thing is, Bellatrix has huge breasts, and I won’t need the chicken cutlets this time. Like lactating on a broomstick.
Anyway, Helen McCrory, who plays my sister, has also got a small baby [son Gulliver is 11 weeks], so we’re going to have a witch’s crèche on-set.
Source: Evening Standard
- Posted on Jan 19, 08 at 5:26PM
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- 25 Comments
January 19th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
HAHA! I love how honest she is! I bet the name will be very cool. So happy for them. She seems very happy with her life. I guess that is all we can hope for our own life.
January 19th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Brilliant! If I could live in an adjoining house I might be able to get married
Anyway, I can’t imagine not having names picked out – my future daughters have been named for years 
Anyway, nice to see them so happy and looking forward to hearing the name (glad Indiana Rose or whatever was just a rumor!)
January 19th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
I love her laid back attitude and perspective on life.
I bet the baby is just a doll.
January 19th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
I admire her and echo many of her thoughts, especially the adjoining living spaces:-)
Can’t wait to see pics and know her name. She is surely a gorgeous baby!
January 19th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
I just love her…ajoining houses. This article truly made me laugh out loud.
January 19th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Ha ha, I’ve always said that if I got married I would make my husband live in a separate house because I’m so used to living on my own and doing things my way that I don’t want to give that up! And I’m just a person that loves my “alone time”. Everyone always says when I meet the right person I will change my mind about that, but I think it’s interesting that there are some people who actually do it!
January 19th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
She is so great and forthright! I love that in people. Congrats to the both.
January 19th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
The two houses thing sounds interesting! I wonder who’s house Billy and the baby live in?
January 19th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
The houses are adjoined by a hallway I do believe so the baby when walking, could just toddle back and forth. I love Helena and Tim and thinks it’s just fabulous that these two oddballs found each other. I had my daughter’s name picked out ages before she was born but some wait to see what the baby is like and match the name to personality. I’m sure it will be fun!
January 19th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Words can’t express how much I love this woman!
She is great. She has her own way. She just does what she feels she should do.
I’m sure the baby is precious. And I desperately want to know what name they will choose.
<3
January 20th, 2008 at 12:03 am
Ahh, I thought they were just not releasing the name of their daughter for privacy sake or to be mysterious. Wondering if she’ll have a fairly traditional name as most of the boys’ names she picked out were. Love the adjoining living space arrangement, if only we all had enough cash to do this! Glad to hear all is well with them, they might be a bit eccentric, but they provide us with great entertainment.
January 20th, 2008 at 3:14 am
I laughed so hard reading the sammy davis jr. bit!
CelebBabyLover, Helena said in an interview that Billy’s room is in Tim’s side of the house. I’m not sure about the new baby. She’ll probably be in Helena’s side, of course I’m sure she is now..but I bet she’ll probably stay there, more girly on that side.
January 20th, 2008 at 3:18 am
I think she is hilarious, I didn’t know that. I always thought she was as creepy as most of her characters, I was so wrong ! I am starting to become a fan of the way the expresses herself and her looks !
January 20th, 2008 at 7:24 am
she’s said before in an interview that billy is in tims part because she doesn’t have enough room….
love love LOVE helena!! can’t wait to hear the new babies name
January 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I think if you look at both of them (her and Tim), how they dress, how they act, their body of work, etc, you would be crazy to think that they enjoy a “normal” way of life. I am at all not surprised by the fact that they have adjoining homes. But they are so distinct that I think they are perfect for each other.
January 20th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Tim and Helena were made for each other werent they!
January 20th, 2008 at 11:39 am
The article said that the children live on Tim’s side of the house but that the kitchen is on Helena’s side. Can you imagine peering into Tim Burton’s refrigerator?!
I think that adjoining houses sounds wonderful. My husband and I have rooms in our house that we feel are our own. Not bedrooms – I have a study and he has a space in the basement.
Emma Thompson’s husband said that he has a room at the top of the house and a shed at the end of the garden for when he needs to escape from the women in his house!
I’m looking forward to hearing the name that Helena and Tim choose for their daughter.
January 20th, 2008 at 11:50 am
utterly brilliant. i love that they have separate houses. my husband and i sleep in separate bedrooms… it’s perfect! but people assume we must not be completely in love when they hear that. LOL. when we get around to buying a house we plan on one that has separate spaces for each of us. i love the idea of two houses with a hallway connecting them! *off to talk to hubby about it* *wink*
January 20th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Is it same in USA??
January 21st, 2008 at 1:53 am
Wow, so if a man had busted up two marriages he’d be a #*%#*$#…but because she’s a woman she’s brilliant and wonderful? This world has gotten amazingly twisted. In my book, on any day of the week, she’s a wh0re.
January 21st, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Living in adjoining houses is BRILLIANT! My hubby and I live in a large house, but I still can’t get away from him!
January 23rd, 2008 at 5:47 am
My partner and I have the same living arrangments. We have a little door that joins the two houses together…My partner is a reeealy bad snorer and if I slept in the same bed as him I would never get sleep. People often question our love for each other…but I think it makes us stronger. We can do our own thing, and than when we want to schmagoogle or cuddle we reunite…I highly recommend it.
January 25th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
how darling is she?! thanks for posting this!
March 13th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Im not married or in a relationship so maybe I’m not one to talk, but my parents lived next door to each other in adjoining townhouses for many years and it was really confusing to me even as a young adult. I was 19 when my dad moved back “home” but then my parents were living as roommates and not a couple. Now they are just neighbours (and aren’t together anymore, but thats neither here nor there). People may think its fun for the kids to be able to go down the hall from mom’s to dad’s, but it can get really confusing. I think its easier for the couple to each have their own space within the same house as their own, because I do recognize the need for that! I’ll need that when I get married one day cause I’m so used to living on my own. I’m not getting adjoining houses though, it’ll be one house and we’ll just have our own offices or whatever. Each to their own though, and if it works for Helena & Tim that’s great, I just hope it doesn’t confuse their kids too much.
April 15th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
wow she is the best actress in the world i like that she is so onest and ya i love you helena!!