Helena Bonham Carter in Sweeney Todd: who should have got the role?

I think HBC was excellent. Michelle Pfeiffer might have been interesting.

MERYL TO THE MOTHER FUCKING STREEP. We know she can do Sondheim because she was the best thing in Into the Woods.

Depp and Carter look like a real couple though not one where the man is just using her for his other purposes and she's pretty enough to make him forget his wife.

I think Toni Collette, M, and Annette Bening were all considered. (but then he just hired his wife so who knows if they auditioned or not.)

R2 She was horrible in Into the Woods - even she didn't like her own performance.

Where did she say she didn't like it r4?

Link or it didn't happen.

Madonna should have done it, then we've have been spared Hard Candy.

No. Pfeiffer has a tiny voice.

Streep was great in "Into the Woods?"

Emma Thompson.

Imelda Staunton.

HBC in Sweeney Todd is one of the worst film musical performances ever (and yes, I have seen Mame and Lost Horizon). She made the film unwatchable.

Nobody should have got it. It was a terrible film and shouldn't have been made at all.

Thank God it wasn’t Streep. It should have been Toni Colette.

Casting Carter really did make Depp the star though. On stage it is more equal (she actually has more solos.) But on film it is all about Depp and Carter is just a tag a long.

Pity he didn't have an equal because I think he was surprisingly good in the role.

oh come on r12 it wasn't that bad. Even Sondheim liked it.

R13 is right. Toni Colette should be Mrs Lovett in the next big stage production.

[quote]HBC in Sweeney Todd is one of the worst film musical performances ever

Her voice was so weak - she could not really infuse it with any emotion. I remember she had one spoken line toward the end and it was so much more effective than anything she had sung earlier.

Pfeiffer would have been really good. She'd have needed a vocal coach but she'd have nailed it.

good idea r16

She's getting to be the right age. I wish they'd do a version like the original with the huge sets and in a huge theater. I'd like to see what the fuss was about. (you can see it sort of on youtube but it's not the same.)

Hard to think of a male star who could headline a huge revival with Collette though.

Huge Ackman.

Renee Zellweger may have delivered something interesting. She did well with her singing in Chicago and Judy especially since I don't think she'd ever sang before Chicago.

She'd have been funnier too and she really proved all the skeptics in the UK that she could deliver a passable accent.

I’m glad Ed Sanders as Toby sung most of my favorite Sondheim song Not While I’m Around. He sang it beautifully. He should’ve been a big star than he is.

What did you think of Johanna?

Brenda Blethyn would have been astounding as Lovett. Bryn Terfl could have been tremendous as Sweeney. He obviously could sing it better than anyone. A good director could have gotten the acting out of him.

But no. We got Johnny Depp and HBC. Ugh.

Tracey Ullman.

Glenn Close--but not opposite Depp. Mrs. Lovetts always seem older than Sweeneys--wonder why?

[quote]On stage it is more equal (she actually has more solos.)

But his name is the title of the play.

So what, Gypsy Rose Louise!

HBC's singing voice was so grating! She was the worst thing in the film. I would have preferred to see anyone else over her.

But i got top billing r27