Helena Bonham Carter Voices Her Hate For Cancel Culture

Helena Bonham Carter Voices Her Hate For Cancel Culture: 'You Can't Ban People'

Home / News / Helena Bonham Carter Voices Her Hate For Cancel Culture: 'You Can't Ban People'

By Favour Adegoke on November 28, 2022 at 3:00 AM PST

Actress Helena Bonham Carter has expressed her contempt for cancel culture in a new interview.

The "Harry Potter" star stated that the cancel culture movement has become "quite hysterical," adding that it has transformed into a "witch hunt" of people who have not even erred.

She also discussed Johnny Depp and J.K Rowling's coming under the axe of cancel culture in recent times and voiced her support for both stars.

The 56-year-old is currently in a relationship with Rye Dag Holmboe, and she revealed during the interview that they often joke about the age gap between them.

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Helena Bonham Carter Says 'You Can't Ban People'

Helena Bonham Carter
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In a new interview with the Sunday Times, Carter discussed the impact of cancel culture on the entertainment industry.

She noted that several entertainers had seen themselves canceled over different situations, often leading to the loss of their livelihoods and other troublesome ordeals.

Describing cancel culture as a "witch hunt," the actress named fellow stars, Depp and Rowling, as people who have suffered from its effects, despite their having done nothing to warrant such backlash.

"You can't ban people. I hate cancel culture. It has become quite hysterical, and there's a kind of witch-hunt and a lack of understanding," the "Harry Potter" actress told the publication in the interview published on Saturday.

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The 56-year-old seemed to imply that cancel culture was in and of itself a sort of hypocrisy by asserting that "millions of individuals" would likewise be subject to the axe of cancel culture if their "personal life" were examined.

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She Commented On Johnny Depp's Legal Ordeal

Johnny Depp - Amber Heard Trial
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Carter also said in the interview that she did not believe Depp, with whom she co-starred in "Sweeney Todd," would have trouble finding work following his libel trial with his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Depp had sued the "Aquaman" star for defamation over an op-ed she authored in 2018 about suffering domestic violence during her time with him.

After the op-ed made headlines, Depp suffered what many believe to be the negative impact of cancel culture. He lost several deals and was even booted out of reprising his role as Grindelwald in the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise.

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Discussing his ordeals, Carter stated that Johnny "certainly went through it" before he was finally "vindicated" in court earlier in the year. She also appeared to slam Heard for displaying hypocrisy when she joined in on the #MeToo movement with her allegations against Depp.

She said, per Sunday Times, "My view is that she got on that pendulum. That's the problem with these things — that people will jump on the bandwagon because it's the trend and to be the poster girl for it.'

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Helena Bonham Carter On J.K Rowling Receiving Flak For Her Views On Trans Women

J.K. Rowling
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Carter also criticized the actions of individuals who trolled J.K. Rowling after she defended single-sex areas. The renowned author has been dubbed transphobic since the incident, a claim which the "Enola Holmes" star dubbed "horrendous."

"It's horrendous, a load of bullsh*t. I think she has been hounded," the actress said.

She added, "It's been taken to the extreme, the judgmentalism of people. She's allowed her opinion, particularly if she's suffered abuse. Everybody carries their own history of trauma and forms their opinions from that trauma, and you have to respect where people come from and their pain.

Explaining further, she remarked that people are free to disagree with Rowling but not try to cancel her, as "she's just saying something out of her own experience."

Helena Bonham Carter Talked About Her Relationship

Helena Bonham Carter
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On a lighter note, Carter discussed her relationship with her current boyfriend, Rye Dag Holmboe, whom she met in 2018 at a wedding.

She shared that the media coverage about them has been chiefly fixated on their 21-year age gap.

"I like that it's constantly news that he's younger than me," she said, according to Sunday Times. "And what's hilarious is that I keep getting older, but to the tabloids, he remains 33. He's almost like Benjamin Button."

She also revealed that she and the art historian often joke about the age gap, saying, "His eyesight is going, so we say I'm siphoning off his youth at night."

The Oscar winner also hinted at what attracted her to her current beau. "There are people I've been involved with who aren't necessarily their age, maturity wise, whereas [Rye] is ageless."

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