The upcoming film “Wonka” sees Timothée Chalamet as a young chocolatier Willy Wonka in this prequel to both Roald Dahl’s iconic book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and its 1971 film adaptation.
The movie boasts a cast that includes Keegan Michael-Key, Olivia Colman, Sally Hawkins, Matt Lucas, Paterson Joseph, Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Grant.
Grant, in particular, has drawn attention, both good and bad, for playing an Oompa-Loompa in the film. Speaking with Variety, “Wonka” director Paul King talked about Grant’s casting.
The pair previously had massive success with their collaboration on “Paddington 2” and Grant’s personality is exactly what King was looking for:
“I was enchanted by the idea of these impossibly tiny beings, far smaller even than the child-sized me. The voice and the attitude of the Oompa Loompa came from revisiting the books – long songs full of humor, sarcasm, superiority and scorn. So it was really just thinking about that character – someone who can be a real s—. And I went, ‘Ah, Hugh [Grant]!’ Because he’s the funniest, most sarcastic s— that I’ve ever met!
I had to write him this awkward letter, saying, ‘You’re good at playing washed-up, old hams… Once you see Hugh Grant as an 18-inch high orange man with green hair, you go, ‘Ah, yes. I know what Oompa Loompas are. It all makes perfect sense.'”
King previously revealed back in July to Empire that the visual effects for the Oompa Loompa are still being tweaked – “because it’s CG, it looks terrible until it looks good. And then you go, ‘Ah, perfect!’ It’s a miracle.”
“Wonka” opens in cinemas everywhere from December 15th.
