Timothée Chalamet has opened up about his portrayal of Willy Wonka in the new film, acknowledging the pressure to do justice to the beloved character. Chalamet stars alongside Hugh Grant and Olivia Colman in the musical fantasy film, which debuted at its world premiere in London this week. Fans eagerly waited in line to catch a glimpse of the cast at the red carpet event.
The film is based on Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and tells the backstory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. Chalamet is the third actor to take on the role after Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp. Speaking at the premiere, Chalamet said his portrayal of Wonka aimed to do something different, portraying the character as “young, ambitious, hopeful, won’t-take-no for an answer, sprightly, light Willy.”
Grant’s performance, on the other hand, has faced criticism for the decision not to cast an actor with dwarfism for the role of Oompa-Loompa Lofty. Director Paul King defended the decision, stating that Dahl describes the Oompa Loompas as “no higher than my knee or about the size of a medium-size doll.” he went on to say, “We tried to use the iconic look that they came up in the 1971 movie with the green hair and the orange skin, and merge that with the way Dahl described them, in a way I think they may have done, had they had the technology we have today.”
Filming for Wonka began in September 2021 and was shot at various locations in the UK, including Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, near Watford. The film will be released in UK cinemas on 8 December 2023
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