After effectively sparking the revival of Hugh Grant after casting the British star as the main villain of Paddington 2director Paul King has once again turned to the actor for a key role in his upcoming Roald Dahl prequel, Wonka (published by Warner Bros. on December 15). But it may not be for reasons Grant approves of.
Speaking at the official premiere of Wonka trailer in London, an early afternoon event where guests were treated to a buffet consisting almost entirely of sweet Wonka-style confections, the filmmaker explained why he cast Grant as a short-haired Oompa Loompa greens (appearing in the final moments of the trailer in a hilariously deadpan way).
More from The Hollywood Reporter
With Wonka delving into the story behind how Charlie and the chocolate factoryWilly Wonka – played by Timothée Chalamet – became the world famous chocolatier, King explained how he had to delve into Dahl’s books for inspiration. Regarding the Oompa Loompas, he said that although Dahl didn’t give them much dialogue, the songs he wrote for them were “incredibly sarcastic, critical and cruel” about the children in the story. .
“So I was really thinking about this character; someone who could be real shit, and then — ah! Hugues!” he said. “Because that’s the funniest, most sarcastic shit I’ve ever come across.”
As for his main star, Chalamet, King was a little more polite in his praise.
“It was a very short list of people who could play Willy Wonka, and really, it was him,” he explained. “I really think he’s the most incredible actor of his generation, because he has this incredible ability to dive very deeply into his own personal emotions and convey things in a jiffy – he’s very, very controlled, very intelligent and incredibly emotionally intuitive.”
Although he acknowledged that Chalamet followed in “extraordinarily big shoes” considering the actors who have played Wonka before (Johnny Depp and original star Gene Wilder), King said he thinks he “was more than worthy of them”. … I think he manages to bring that kind of chaos and playfulness, but with a deep emotional foundation, which is really quite extraordinary.
The best of The Hollywood Reporter
Click here to read the full article.