Wonka director on what makes Timothee Chalamet the perfect choice for the role

Timothee Chalamet’s role as Willy Wonka has been highly anticipated since he was cast as the titular character in January 2021. When the spin-off was announced, many wondered how Johnny Depp’s initial portrayal of the eccentric candymaker could be topped. Wonka director Paul King has now spoken about why he decided to go with Timothee Chalamet for the role. 

3 things you need to know: 

• Wonka is an adaptation of the 1964 children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 
• The film will feature Mr Bean actor Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman and Hugh Grant. 
• The Warner Bros film is slated to release on December 29, later this year. 

Paul King praises Timothee Chalament 

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview, Paul King spoke about his casting choice for Wonka. While talking about the lead star, King said that Chalamet was part of a "very short list of people" who were considered apt to play Willy Wonka. He said that it turned out that only the Dune actor was taken into final consideration. In an earlier interview, King had said that Chalamet did not even audition for the role.  

(Timothee Chalamet and Hugh Grant, who plays Oompa Loompa, in a still from Wonka | Image: wonkamovie/Instagram)

King praised Chalamet by saying that he is, “very, very controlled, very smart and incredibly emotionally intuitive". Chalamet has been part of a diverse set of projects in a very short span of time. While he was the lead actor in the philosophical sci-fi epic Dune (2021), he was also seen in the off-beat drama Bones and All (2022). 

King on Hugh Grant’s casting as Oompa Loompa

Oompa Loompas are crucial parts of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory and help in making candies. Speaking about why British actor Hugh Grant was picked for playing the character, King said, “Because he’s the funniest, most sarcastic sh--t I’ve ever met.” Grant has most recently featured in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre and Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves.