Helena Bonham Carter to play Elizabeth Taylor

Helena Bonham Carter to star alongside Dominic West in the roll of Richard Burton in new BBC4 film drama

Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter
(Image credit: REX)

Helena Bonham Carter to star alongside Dominic West in the roll of Richard Burton in new BBC4 film drama

Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West are to play the acting lengends Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in a new BBC4 film drama.

In the one-off drama, the award-winning actors will focus on the volitile relationship between Elizabeth and Richard when they appeared together for an ill-fated run in Noel Coward play Private Lives in 1983.

Once the highest-paid stars in Hollywood, the celebrated actress and Richard were famously married – and divorced – from each other twice.

'I look nothing like her for a start, but it's about capturing the essence of them at a particular time,' said Bonham Carter.

'Elizabeth was and continues to be a fascinating woman and she was a huge star. There's no one comparable around now.'

Despite our best efforts, we can't forget that Lindsay Lohan most recently played the icon in the flop movie Liz & Dick.

Who do you think will make a better Elizabeth Taylor? Tell us your thoughts in the box below...

WATCH: LINDSAY LOHAN AS ELIZABETH TAYLOR IN TRAILER

HELENA BONHAM CARTER MODELS FOR MARC JACOBS