September 24, 2002

From the Sydney Confidential, Australia:

STAR COVETS AUSSIE ACCENT

English Rose Helena Bonham Carter was loathe to let go of one souvenir she picked up while filming Till Human Voices Wake Us - her Aussie accent.

The actress, who stars opposite Guy Pearce in the new Victorian-made mystery, found it a great change from her cut-glass UK voice.

"I did take a bit of time to get rid of the accent," she admitted. "I'd enjoyed doing it so it stuck around."

The 36-year-old also developed a love for the local Castlemaine cheese - but even more enjoyable, she said, was working with Pearce.

"He was lovely. What was great also is he plays guitar and sings, and we were both staying in a converted chapel with air vents in our rooms. A lot of the time at night, he'd be strumming away and I'd get it filtered though - Guy Pearce, Live From Castlemaine! But he's a laugh and he's straightforward."

While doling out the praise, Carter also revealed her thoughts on other film hunks she has acted opposite.

Robert De Niro (Frankenstein) was "very shy" while Fight Club's Brad Pitt was "very chivalrous, incredibly kind and someone who's as good on the inside as he is good-looking on the outside."

Mark Wahlberg, her Planet of the Apes leading man, was "Very charming, very thoughtful. And for the star he is, pretty well-adjusted."