Helena Bonham Carter Recalls “Chilling” Work Experiences with Harvey Weinstein

After working with Harvey Weinstein on a handful of films, its no surprise that Helena Bonham Carter would have a few stories of her own about the disgraced producer. In a recent interview with The Guardian, the British actress recounted the professional difficulty of working with the notorious producer, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by over 80 women (Weinstein has denied all claims of nonconsensual acts).

“I found the way he treated certain people chilling—without any kind of respect. There were many times I disagreed with the way he behaved, and I dont mean sexually,” she said, referring to his bullying nature. “There were times when Harvey asked me to do certain things, and I said no. I knew I was running a thin line. Standing up to him wasnt an easy thing to do because I knew I could potentially lose work.”

Two notable occasions Bonham Carter worked with Weinstein, the royal 2010 drama The Kings Speech and The Wings of the Dove, earned her Oscar nominations, a fact Bonham Carter readily acknowledged. “There are a lot of reasons he was very powerful. He knew how to get you Oscar nominations. Both my nominations are due to him. And he had great taste in films.”

However, his behavior was still untenable, Bonham Carter said. While working with him on the 2013 Jean-Pierre Jeunet film The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet, the actress recalled a scene in which the main character, a genius little boy, hitchhikes away from home and gets into a truck. Weinstein, Bonham Carter claimed, hated the scene and wanted the actress to tell Jeunet to change it. “Harvey said as soon as that kid gets into a truck everyone will think the truck driver is a child molester and all the kids in America will be freaked out,” she recalled. “I said: I dont think youre right, and Im not going to tell Jean-Pierre Jeunet I know better than him.” Weinstein, Bonham Carter said, allegedly told her: “Youve got to tell that arrogant asshole hes being a shit, he doesnt know the American market like I do. I found it revolting.”

It wasnt just Weinstein that Bonham Carter openly spoke about in her interview. She also spoke about maligned star Jeffrey Tambor, who has been accused of sexual harassment by Van Barnes, his former assistant, and Transparent co-star Trace Lysette (which he denied). Tambor starred in Bonham Carters most recent film, 55 Steps. In the interview, Bonham Carter openly laments the fact that 55 Steps wasnt picked up by any major distributors and is instead headed straight to video. The allegations around Tambor, Bonham Carter surmises, might have had an impact on the films radioactivity. Still, she hasnt turned her back on him. “He has such compassion, and I dont believe that same heart would be capable of any kind of abuse,” she said.

She was also warm toward Johnny Depp, a longtime friend whom shes co-starred with in several films (most notably the films of Bonham Carters ex-partner, Tim Burton). Despite the allegations of domestic abuse that swirled around Depp after his divorce from Amber Heard (who eventually dropped the allegations, as well as her restraining order request against him, after the divorce was settled), Bonham Carter says the pair remain close: “Johnny is still a friend. Hes the godfather to my children. I havent seen him for a long time. But hes quite an elusive character.”

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Yohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.