The abrupt exit of Helena Bonham Carter from the latest instalment of The White Lotus streaming phenomenon remains the subject of intense speculation.

It was announced on the weekend that the 59-year-old British actor has departed the popular the HBO show – which had already started filming season four in the south of France – after problems with her character.

The plot, filming schedule and ultimate release are now in doubt as Bonham Carter’s part will be rewritten and recast in coming weeks.

“With filming just under way on season four of The White Lotus, it had become apparent that the character which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align once on set,” an HBO spokesperson said.

“HBO, the producers and Mike White are saddened that they won’t get to work with her, but remain ardent fans and very much hope to work with the legendary actress on another project soon.”

Bonham Carter was to have joined an impressive cast, including Steve Coogan, Caleb Jonte Edwards, Kumail Nanjiani, Heather Graham, Rosie Perez and Sandra Bernhard.

In the absence of any further explanation from the producers – and amid silence from Bonham Carter – there are reports, including one from the Daily Mail, that the split occurred after the outspoken actress clashed with co-star Bernhard.

Representatives for Bonham Carter have since denied that claim, saying the pair have never even met.

While many questions remain, we do know that the fourth season of The White Lotus is set at a luxury resort in France, with filming locations on the French Riviera, including Cannes, Saint-Tropez and Monaco.

The Airelles Chateau de la Messardiere in Saint-Tropez will double as the White Lotus du Cap and the Hotel Martinez as the White Lotus Cannes.

There will also be some filming in Paris.

The White Lotus debuted in 2021 with a season set in Hawaii, followed by instalments in Italy and Thailand.

Each season has included at least one returning cast member. Jennifer Coolidge appeared in the first two seasons, while a storyline in the third involved Natasha Rothwell and Jon Gries.

Outspoken star

A star of the Harry Potter franchise and frequent collaborator with Johnny Depp in movies made by her former partner Tim Burton, Bonham Carter ruffled feathers in acting circles in 2022 with her outspoken views on cancel culture.

In an interview with the The Sunday Times, she declared Depp was “completely vindicated” after his high-profile court case with ex-wife Amber Heard.

Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard in March 2019 after the Washington Post published an op-ed under her name about being the victim of domestic violence. Depp’s name was not mentioned in the article; however, the story came out as their contentious 2016 divorce continued to make headlines.

Bonham Carter was outspoken in support of Depp. Photo: Getty

Asked if the libel case between Heard and Depp was “the pendulum of #MeToo swinging back”, Bonham Carter said: “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.”

Bonham Carter, who portrayed witch Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter movies, also spoke out in support of author JK Rowling after she received backlash for her perceived transphobic comments.

“It’s horrendous, a load of bollocks. I think she has been hounded,” she said.

“It’s been taken to the extreme, the judgmentalism of people. She’s allowed her opinion.”

Bonham Carter said she thought Rowling’s critics were mostly jealous.

“If she hadn’t been the most phenomenal success, the reaction wouldn’t be so great,” she said. “I think there’s a lot of envy unfortunately and the need to tear people down that motors a lot of this cancelling. And schadenfreude.”

Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in The Crown. Photo: Netflix

From 2019 to 2020, Bonham Carter portrayed Princess Margaret, the sister of the late Queen Elizabeth II, in seasons three and four of The Crown.

In 2020 she told the Netflix show’s official podcast that The Crown had a “moral responsibility” to tell viewers it was fiction.

“I do feel very strongly, because I think we have a moral responsibility to say, ‘Hang on guys, this is not … it’s not a drama-doc, we’re making a drama’. So they are two different entities,” Bonham Carter said.