Movies December 07, 2023
Timothée Chalamet Says He Had Big Shoes to Fill with ‘Wonka’: ‘Cinematic Giants’ (Exclusive)
Jaap Buittendijk/Warner Bros.
Timothée Chalamet is taking on the role of a lifetime as Willy Wonka in the new prequel movie “Wonka.”
Gene Wilder played the beloved role in the 1971 classic “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” while Johnny Depp stepped into the part for the 2005 Tim Burton version, titled “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
“Extra’s” Terri Seymour caught up with Chalamet and co-star Hugh Grant, who talked about the film on “Extra: The Podcast.” Listen here!
Chalamet referred to his predecessors as “cinematic giants,” explaining, “This film is really a companion piece to the Gene Wilder ’71 film… Some of the musical numbers from that film are in this one, but this is a different story. This is the origin.”
Chalamet is playing a younger version of Willy, calling him “an ambitious Willy, sort of a naïve Willy. He’s full of hopes and dreams. He doesn’t have that quality that we see in the other Willy Wonka films.”
Hugh remarked that he saw some of Gene Wilder in Chalamet, joking that they had the "same slightly demented look in the eye."
"I'll take it as a huge compliment," Timothée replied.
When Hugh was asked if he ever imagined playing an Oompa Loompa, he quipped, “I didn’t think I'd have sunk this low, this fast.”
The role required Hugh to dance and sing! He admitted, “That’s always torture. I just thought it’d be funny, watching a 63-year-old Englishman putting his head between his legs.”
As for Timothée, he said the "Wonka" world was quite the switch-up!
"The two physically intense movies I did before, ‘The King’ and ‘Dune,’ they were sort of evidently physically demanding, the war scenes and battles," he reflected. "This, because there's an element of play and fun, the physical demands kind of snuck up on me. You know, if you’re doing 13 takes of a dance number and maintaining that generous spirit... this required a different energy, so that part snuck up on me. But I felt that my ability to be in that tone got smoothed out pretty quickly. But at first it was a brand-new world to me."
“Wonka” hits theaters December 15.
To hear Timothée and Hugh’s full interview, you can also download this week’s “Extra: The Podcast” on the Audacy app and everywhere podcasts are available. New episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays.
