Where Are They Now? Johnny Depp and the Cast of Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland”

We figured out how to make pictures move in the late 1800s and not long after, adaptations of one of the most popular stories in world history started popping up. The first film adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ran twelve minutes and was noted for its innovative use of special effects. Since then, there have been over thirty Alice in Wonderland films including the iconic Disney animated movie. In 2006, Disney went into development on an updated Alice adaptation and hired Batman and Sleepy Hollow director Tim Burton, whose gothic sensibilities and singular visual style had delighted both audiences and critics alike.

Released in 2010, Alice in Wonderland is a loose adaptation of Carroll’s tale, following nineteen-year-old Alice Kingsleigh as she rediscovers Wonderland and learns she is destined to dethrone the tyrannical Red Queen. The film was a smash at the box office, raking in over $1 billion worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film of the year behind Toy Story 3. Burton’s Alice was lauded for its style, tone, and use of CGI, with Michael Rechtshaffen writing in The Hollywood Reporter, “Burton has delivered a subversively witty, brilliantly cast, whimsically appointed dazzler…” And what about that cast? The star-studded ensemble featured longtime Burton collaborators Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter alongside Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, and Alan Rickman. Their subsequent careers have been filled with franchise blockbusters, critical acclaim, and (interestingly) Les Miserables.

Let’s take a look at what Burton and his stars have been up to since the release of Alice in Wonderland:

Behind-the-scenes image of Tim Burton and Mia Wasikowska on a green screen set during the production of the 2010 fantasy adventure film "Alice in Wonderland".

Tim Burton – Director
A favorite of film students and Halloween enthusiasts, Tim Burton came into Alice on a twenty-year hot streak. From Beetlejuice to Batman, from Sleepy Hollow to Sweeney Todd, Burton was the go-to guy for offbeat stories infused with humor and horror set against a backdrop of surreal and fantastical visuals. Alice in Wonderland proved to be his greatest commercial success, grossing more than his previous four films combined, and earned Burton a Golden Globe nod for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Since then, the results have been…mixed. Burton found critical success with 2012’s Frankenweenie while Dark Shadows, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and his 2019 adaptation of Dumbo were moderate financial successes but failed to win over critics. In 2022 he dipped into TV for the first time in thirty-five years with the hit Netflix series Wednesday starring Jenny Ortega, who, incidentally, would be a perfect fit as Princess Alyss. Burton’s next project is the highly anticipated Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The sequel to his 1988 cult classic sees him reunited with Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and Ortega and is slated to be released in September 2024.

Still image of Johnny Depp as Tarrant Hightopp/Mad Hatter from the 2010 fantasy adventure film "Alice in Wonderland".

Johnny Depp – Tarrant Hightopp/Mad Hatter
Johnny Depp’s career since Alice in Wonderland has been a smorgasbord of hits, tent poles, flops, and some quintessentially Deppian performances. First the good. The alt-core heartthrob followed up his predictably quirky turn as the Mad Hatter with a Golden Globe nomination for his work in the romantic thriller The Tourist and provided the title voice for Rango, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Depp reprised his role as the iconic Jack Sparrow in the latest installments of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and stole the screen as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and The Crimes of Grindelwald. Critical and commercial flops came in the form of The Lone Ranger and Transcendence (and a few others) but Depp earned rave reviews for his performances as two of the 20th century’s most successful criminals – Boston mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger in Black Mass and Donald Trump in Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal: The Movie. He has also found time to indulge in his passion for music, releasing two albums with Hollywood Vampires, a rock supergroup featuring Alice Cooper and Joe Perry, and collaborating with guitar legend Jeff Beck. Up next, Depp is at the helm of Modi, a drama about Bohemian artist Amedeo Modigliani, and is set to play Satan opposite Jeff Bridges’ God in Terry Gilliam’s new comedy.

Still image of Mia Wasikowska as Alice Kingsleigh from the 2010 fantasy adventure film "Alice in Wonderland".

Mia Wasikowska – Alice Kingsleigh
Australian actress Mia Wasikowska was a relative unknown before being cast as Carroll’s heroine at twenty-one years old. She had earned critical acclaim for her performance in the HBO series In Treatment but playing Alice launched her into the stratosphere. Wasikowska won the Hollywood Awards’ Breakthrough Artist Award, the Australian Film Institute International Award for Best Actress, and was included in the 2011 Time 100. Immediately following Alice, Wasikowska starred in the Oscar-nominated dramedy The Kids Are All Right and played opposite Michael Fassbender in Cary Joji Fukunaga’s adaptation of Jane Eyre. Wasikowska has also worked with an impressive list of directors including Gus Van Sant, Park Chan-wook, Jim Jarmusch, David Cronenberg, and Guillermo del Toro. After reprising her role as Alice in the 2016 sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Wasikowska took a step back from the mainstream industry, choosing to focus on more intimate, character-driven projects. She was nominated for an Australian Oscar for her work in the 2019 dark comedy Judy and Punch and starred in the 2021 romantic drama Bergman Island alongside Tim Roth, which premiered at Cannes. Wasikowska’s latest film was the 2023 dark comedy thriller Club Zero, which also premiered at Cannes and was nominated for the Palme d’Or.

Still image of Helena Bonham Carter as Iracebeth/Red Queen from the 2010 fantasy adventure film "Alice in Wonderland".

Helena Bonham Carter – Iracebeth/Red Queen
The endlessly versatile Helena Bonham Carter had a pretty good 2010. She starred in The King’s Speech as Queen Consort Elizabeth, for which she was nominated for an Oscar, won an international Emmy for her work in the BBC Four television film Enid, and played the deliciously evil Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland. After Alice, Bonham Carter finished her work as the unhinged Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter franchise and played the unscrupulous Madame Thenardier in Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables. Her choice of film roles over the past decade and a half has reflected her love for period pieces (Suffragette, Enola Holmes) and quiet dramas (One Life). Bonham Carter has also been nominated for Golden Globes and Emmys for playing Elizabeth Taylor in the TV film Burton & Taylor and Princess Margaret in the Netflix series, The Crown. Her upcoming projects include the 2024 drama Four Letters of Love alongside Pierce Brosnan and an adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel The Seven Dials Mystery from Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall. Also, in 2011, Bonham Carter narrated Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl for Penguin Audios.

Still image of Anne Hathaway as Mirana/White Queen from the 2010 fantasy adventure film "Alice in Wonderland".

Anne Hathaway – Mirana/White Queen
Anne Hathaway was a movie star before Alice in Wonderland. She’s been a movie star since Alice in Wonderland. In another fourteen years, she’ll probably still be a movie star. After starring in Alice as the multidimensional White Queen, Hathaway continued to conquer Hollywood. In 2012, she starred in another $1 billion movie, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, in which she played the enigmatic Selina Kyle/Catwoman and broke hearts in Les Miserables as the tragic Fantine, a performance which earned her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Hathaway has also showcased her range playing in comedies The Intern opposite Robert DeNiro and The Hustle alongside Rebel Wilson. She also channeled her own exeperiences (possibly) for the 2018 heist comedy Ocean’s 8. Recently, Hathaway starred in the Apple TV+ miniseries WeCrashed and the Amazon romcom The Idea of You. Her upcoming projects include David Robert Mitchell’s sci-fi film Flowervale, also starring Ewan McGregor, and David Lowery’s epic melodrama Mother Mary. Offscreen, Hathaway has devoted much of her time to activism and charitable causes. She has worked with the World Bank, was appointed a UN Women Goodwill ambassador in 2016, and was one of 300 women who founded the Time’s Up initiative.

Still image of the animated character Nivens McTwisp/White Rabbit from the 2010 fantasy adventure film "Alice in Wonderland".

Photograph of actor Michael Sheen in a dark blue checked blazer and solid navy blue button-down shirt.

Michael Sheen – Nivens McTwisp/White Rabbit
Michael Sheen is delightful as the voice of the twitchy, chronophobic White Rabbit. Before being cast in Alice, Sheen was already part of a billion-dollar franchise, playing a telepathic vampire in the Twilight movies. He reprised that role in the final two installments, Breaking Dawn Parts 1 & 2, in 2011 and 2012. On stage, Sheen has played Hamlet at the Young Vic in London and Mozart’s rival Salieri in a production of Amadeus at the Sydney Opera House. Most of his notable work post-Alice has come in TV. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performances as sex researcher William Masters in the Showtime series Masters of Sex and has received critical acclaim for his work as the angel Aziraphale in Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens. In 2024, Sheen co-created and directed the BBC One three-part series The Way and is currently in production on A Very Royal Scandal, in which he’ll portray Prince Andrew. Like Hathaway, Sheen is also passionate about charitable work and social advocacy, with most of his efforts centered on his native Wales. In 2021, in an interview with The Guardian, Sheen declared that he would give all of his future earnings to charity.

Still image of the animated character of Absolem the Caterpillar from the 2010 fantasy adventure film "Alice in Wonderland".

Photograph of actor Alan Rickman wearing a black collared shirt in front of a white background.

Alan Rickman – Absolem the Caterpillar
The beloved Alan Rickman sadly passed away in 2016, but he left a glittering legacy as a tremendous actor and warm and generous coworker and friend. His iconic voice lends gravitas and humor to the character of Absolem the Caterpillar. After his work on Alice, Rickman wrapped up his decade-long portrayal of sinister Potions Master Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise and directed, co-wrote, and starred in the period drama A Little Chaos. On stage, he starred in productions of the Henrik Ibsen play John Gabriel Borkman in Dublin and Brooklyn and was nominated for a Drama League Award for his work on Broadway in Theresa Rebeck’s Seminar. In addition to his work as an actor, Rickman was also an ardent humanitarian. He was a patron of the Saving Faces charity and was honorary president of the International Performer’s Aid Trust. His last recorded work was a video in support of an Oxford University campaign to raise money and awareness for Save the Children and Refugee Council. Rickman’s final two films, Eye in the Sky and Alice Through the Looking Glass, were devoted to his memory.

Still image of the animated character Cheshire the cat from the 2010 fantasy adventure film "Alice in Wonderland".

Photograph of actor and comedian Stephen Fry wearing a light blue suit jacket, maroon vest, dark red checked shirt, and a yellow tie with white dots.

Stephen Fry – Cheshire
Comedian, author, and actor Stephen Fry was a perfect fit for the Cheshire Cat with his professorial bearing and imperious voice. Fry has kept extremely busy since Alice, starting with his turn as the villainous Master of Lake-town in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit films. He has also starred in the Amazon romcom Red, White, and Royal Blue and played opposite Lena Dunham in the 2024 tragicomedy Treasure. On TV, he has appeared in Heartstopper, The Dropout, The Sandman, and The Morning Show, in addition to hosting the acclaimed British panel show QI, which he left in 2016. He has produced and presented documentaries about mental health and Dutch resistance to the Nazis for the BBC and Channel Four. Fry has also churned out five books in the last fourteen years, including a memoir and a three-part retelling of Greek myths. Fry’s charity work and advocacy has focused on nature and wildlife conservation and climate change.

Still image of Crispin Glover as Ilosovic Stayne/Knave of Hearts from the 2010 fantasy adventure film "Alice in Wonderland".

Crispin Glover – Ilosovic Stayne/Knave of Hearts
Alice in Wonderland was one of four films in which the singular Crispin Glover appeared in 2010. In another example of perfect casting by Burton, Glover is excellent as the Red Queen’s right hand, the shifty Knave of Hearts. After a busy 2010, Glover continued his eclectic work in film and television. He played opposite John Cusack and Robert DeNiro in the neo-noir crime thriller The Bag Man and appeared in the 2018 mystery thriller We Have Always Lived in the Castle starring Alexandra Daddario and Sebastian Stan. On TV, Glover starred in the History Channel miniseries Texas Rising and played Mr. World in the Starz fantasy series American Gods. Glover currently has two films in post-production, the mystery Mr. K and the thriller A Blind Bargain.

Still image of the animated characters Tweedledee and Tweedledum, based on actor and comedian Matt Lucas, from the 2010 fantasy adventure film "Alice in Wonderland".

Matt Lucas – Tweedledee/Tweedledum
Tweedledee and Tweedledum are arguably the creepiest characters in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and they’re perfectly portrayed by British comedian Matt Lucas. The Little Britain co-creator has grown in prominence on both sides of the pond since appearing in Alice. Lucas stole scenes alongside Rebel Wilson as one of Kristen Wiig’s cringey roommates in Bridesmaids and received BAFTA TV and British Comedy Awards nominations for the BBC One comedy Come Fly With Me. In recent years, Lucas has appeared in two iconic British shows, Doctor Who and The Great British Bake Off, the latter of which he co-hosted with Noel Fielding until 2023. On stage, Lucas has played Thenardier in Les Miserables in the West End on three separate occasions and in a 25th-anniversary concert at The O2 Arena in London. His upcoming projects include an unspecified role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 and the animated musical Fairy Tale Forest alongside Mel Brooks and Whoopi Goldberg.

An itinerant storyteller, John Drain attended the University of Edinburgh before studying film at DePaul University in Chicago and later earned an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute Conservatory. John focuses on writing mysteries and thrillers featuring characters who are thrown into the deep end of the pool and struggle to just keep their heads above water. His work has been recognized by the Academy Nicholls Fellowship, the Austin Film Festival, ScreenCraft, Cinestory, and the Montreal Independent Film Festival. In a previous life, John created and produced theme park attractions across the globe for a wide variety of audiences. John keeps busy in his spare time with three Dungeons and Dragons campaigns and a seemingly never-ending stack of medieval history books.

How Johnny Depp Brought To Life Alice In Wonderland’s Mad Hatter

The Top Hat of Hatters and my personal friend Chad Evett is back to share with us another compelling peak through the looking glass. This time, he breaks down Johnny Depp’s iconic Mad Hatter costume (on which he has a Master Milliner’s worth of knowledge) and examines how the famed actor used the attire to embody one of the best known characters in literature.

Of all the characters from Alice in Wonderland, perhaps the most memorable and recognizable is none other than the Mad Hatter. He has been featured on merchandise, been replicated in media, and has been the symbol of High Tea the world over. He’s been a rock singer, a villainous clockmaker, a bodyguard and an assassin. In Lewis Carroll’s original novel, the character is referred to simply as “the Hatter.’’ He’s the only Male Human character Alice meets (all others are either animals or playing cards,) and has a small cameo as a pun in ‘Through the Looking Glass.”

In 2010, director Tim Burton sought to recreate the denizens of wonderland with his own signature style. It was natural that he would offer the role to famed actor Johnny Depp—with whom Burton has collaborated on numerous films from Edward Scissorhands (1990,) Sleepy Hollow (1999) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005,) and Sweeney Todd: the demon barber of fleet street (2009.) There are more but if you don’t already know what they are google is your friend!

Hatters in the 19^th century were victims of the terrible work conditions that existed before unions. As such, the materials and the chemicals that were required in the process of hat making were incredibly toxic. Glue had very high mercury content, the fumes of which caused milliners to acquire “mad hatter syndrome,” the symptoms of which included slurred speech, tremors, irritability, depression, as well as a myriad of other issues. Their eyes would be sunken, and in extreme causes their hair would take on a fried look and the skin on the hand would crack and peel.

Depp as a consummate performer is notorious for coming to the table with research. Famed makeup artist and Oscar winner Ve Neill collaborated with Johnny on characters such as Scissorhands, Jack Sparrow, and Sweeney Todd (among others). “Johnny came in with ideas in his head, thoughts on who these people could be, and he’s a wonder with collaboration,” she said. The Hatter was no different.

“I thought his emotions should be very near the surface, like a human mood ring. I started seeing the guy…” Both Burton and Depp, independently of each other, did watercolors and drawings of who the hatter could be. “We compared our notes,” said Depp, “And they weren’t far off. Tim is halfway around the world doing his own drawings and they weren’t dissimilar.”

Depp’s hatter appears to have the hallmarks of mercury poisoning, but almost as if it’s been put through a Wonderlandian lens. Bleached white skin coupled with fantastically orange hair, frizzed to perfection. His eyes are outlined in corals, blues, pinks and greens—framed with white lashes and punctuated with vibrantly green eyes. “I wanted him to have electrified kind of eyes, as if the mercury—the madness—is coming out of them. We also had one pupil painted ever so slightly off. So, he’s never looking right at you.” Said Depp, “he’s always looking a little further.”

Patti York was the makeup artist tasked with translating the elements if Burton and Depp’s ideas into reality. “After all the pieces come together, and the costume goes on,” she said, “the transformation is complete. He is the Mad Hatter.”

Multi Oscar winning costume designer and textile rockstar Colleen Atwood was the magician who redefined the look of a Milliner in war-torn Wonderland. “His coat changes color based on his mood, so we made multiples.” She said, “his coat is made from a silk, with layers of sheer silk on top that we burned away to create a shifting effect.” This particular garment had five iterations in the film, ranging from depressed grey to a bright combative blue. In flashbacks his coat is teal, and when he attends high tea, it sits a deep chocolate brown.

“His tie is a joke tie, when he frowns it wilts down and when he’s happy it perks up like a butterfly” she says with a cheeky smile. On one side his coat has ribbons that can be pulled to make a hat, he was a bandolier of antique silk spools, chainmailled together, and he’s got a clutch of scissors on his hip. We didn’t want his tools off on a shelf somewhere, so we incorporated them into his costume. We all know Johnny loves a bit of jewelry, he has a pincushion ring, and thimbles on his fingers.”

In the original novel, the hatter laments that he has had a row with Time himself and has been trapped at tea for ages. The costume Atwood devised had elements that reflected this torturous punishment: “He has embroidery on his pants that he may have done when he got bored, and his boots have words scratched in them. Tim {Burton} likes to draw on his shoes so that’s where that came from.”

The Mad Hatter’s Shoes, inspired by Tim Burton’s habit of drawing on his own footwear

The grand centerpiece (and the most difficult to find) of any hatter costume is his Topper. The symbol of the hatter demands respect, and Atwood came to it with gusto. “The original hat was done before we did the sketches, but it was right.” Deep mottled green leather that has been laser-cut with an elaborate almost paisley design; the hat was then embroidered in patches with bright gold embroidery thread. “We ran a blowtorch over it, which gives it its age but also makes it look like it has survived a catastrophic event.” She is referring to the loss of the Hatters family at the hands of a mad Red Queen and her Targaryen-esq malefice the Jabberwocky.

It is this loss that fuels the hatters need to aid Alice in the saving of the soul of Wonderland (called Underland in this version,) which adds an entirely new layer to the interpretation of the character. He’s always been seated at tea with the Hare and the Dormouse, and while in the book he remains a guest who showed up and never left (not like he had any options, thanks Time!) he now becomes a loner who is seeking his tribe. In literary history he’s insulting and ride, but here he seeks Alice as a kindred spirit. “Alice and the hatter complete each other. Like a brother and a sister—She is his sanity, and he is her Muchness.”

Lewis Carroll’s work has such a potential for interpretation, and more importantly reinterpretation. One wonders who will be the next great re-imaginer of this eternal work. Who will be the newest performer to personify the madness and morph into the Mad Hatter?

Perhaps the next great performance will be an embodiment of Hatter Madigan himself, but by whom?

Could Tom Hardy Be The Next Mad Hatter? — Could Tom Hardy be the next Mad Hatter?

About The Author

Chad Evett graduated from Santa Fe University of Art and design with a degree in technical theater, with an emphasis on Costumes. He has designed numerous short films, and has worked as a theater director and production designer. His work has been seen on The View, and he has designed shoes for actress Whoopi Goldberg, and Writer/Producer Bryan Fuller. He lives in Los Angeles and works as a designer and Consulting storyteller (when he isn’t rubbing shoulders with celebrities like Tim Burton!)