20 Things That Almost Completely Changed Harry Potter Movies

5. Helena Bonham Carter Almost Wasn't Bellatrix

The franchise's success was built on some very helpful pillars: great adapted screenplays, wonderful sets and a fantastic vision of Rowling's books all contributed to how well the films turned out, but nothing was more valuable than the casting choices that brought characters to life. In almost every case of the main characters, the actors chosen to play them were completely nailed on - even when Dumbledore was recast - and it's almost impossible to think of the characters now without them having the faces of their actors. And in a brilliant cast, Helena Bonham Carter stood out wonderfully as Bellatrix Lestrange: she brought the perfect spirit of the Disney villainess, with a cookiness developed from a career working closely with Tim Burton. But she wasn't even intended to be in the film. Originally, Helen McCrory was cast as Bellatrix, but was forced to drop out when she became pregnant, paving the way for Bonham Carter's more wild imagining of the character, to brilliant effect.