Wonka: which actors were considered before Timothée Chalamet?

What is it about ? Discover the youth of Willy Wonka, the extraordinary inventor, magician and chocolatier from the magical world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, in the film Wonka. Timothée Chalamet plays this young man brimming with ideas and determined to change the world… with gusto! This colorful work, mixing emotion and humor, proves that, in life, dreams can come true – especially if you are lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka.

A long-standing project

Wonka is a project that emerged in 2016, when Warner obtained the rights to the famous character of Willy Wonka created by Roald Dahl in Charlie and the chocolate factorypublished in 1964. It was in 2018 that the idea of ​​making a prequel to this novel saw the light of day.

That same year, the director was chosen: it was Paul King, to whom we owe Paddington and its sequel. Several actors are being considered immediately to play Willy Wonka, before Timothée Chalamet. Among them: Donald Glover, Ryan Gosling, Ezra Miller and Tom Holland.

To see at the cinema: Timothée Chalamet enchants us in Wonka, a musical film set before Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

A hopeful Wonka

Paul King wanted to portray a Wonka who was still very young, full of hope and optimism before he became the man played by Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp. The director confides: “A totally broke boy, but who had dreams and great ambitions. I wanted to tell the story of the blossoming of a genius who reveals himself in the most beautiful way possible – a man who discovers his identity and who, at the same time, , finds a family.”

“So, when we meet Willy Wonka, he has not yet become the character who accompanied us all when we were children. He is a very young man who arrives in a strange, magical, mystical town. He has a very clear vision of his future and he believes that anything is possible… so much so that he is not the type to give up or be refused.”

“You don’t become one of the greatest inventors in the world without unwavering determination and belief in the impossible. I don’t think he would accept being told, ‘Well, that’s impossible,’ and would respond ‘Perfect. I give up.’ This is Willy Wonka, the man who developed the aerodynamic soft drink! The man who can make sour candy that lasts forever!”

Wonka at the movies

Two other actors have played the character of Wonka in the cinema: Gene Wilder in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Mel Stuart (1971) and Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) by Tim Burton (which had a significant commercial success with 476 million dollars in global revenue).

Furthermore, the animated feature film Tom and Jerry in the Land of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a remake of the 1971 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Timothée Chalamet rapper!

Paul King offered the role of Wonka to Timothée Chalamet without even giving him an audition. The reason ? The filmmaker knew the actor’s musical abilities after watching his performances in YouTube videos from his high school years, in which he rapped! “It was a direct offer because he’s awesome and he was the only person in my mind who could do it. But because he’s Timothée Chalamet and his life is so absurd, his high school musical performances are on YouTube and have hundreds of thousands of views.”

“So I knew as Timmy Chalamet’s ‘stan’ that he could sing and dance really well. I knew it was in his arsenal, but I didn’t know how good he was. When I told him I spoke, he was very enthusiastic. He had tap danced in high school and he was like, ‘I’d like to show people I can do that.'”

Wonka’s Chocolate Factory

The interior of Wonka’s Chocolate Factory was built separately at Warner’s Leavesden Studios near London. The production drew inspiration from Wonka’s childhood memories for the style of the chocolate factory: its centerpiece is a cherry blossom tree (a tree that Willy and his mother used to walk past). The rotating tree can be reached using a bridge and has a curvy trunk, allowing Wonka to walk to the top.

It’s also where clouds of pink-tinted cotton candy swirl. A chocolate barge floats on a candy river with blue waves and cream-colored crests, where Willy and Noodle toast with chocolate cups. A route of pink Turkish delight goes around the store. Everything from the magical garden is meant to be eaten: the gigantic roses, the meadow flowers, the grass, the bushes, the lollipops and the cotton candy clouds.

The artistic team stuck to a simple rule when manufacturing and installing the elements in the set: “If it doesn’t look really edible, we don’t use it.”. It took a lot of research to find artificial flowers and plants, but also to sculpt, test the paints, coat the creations in sugar, glaze them and dip them in chocolate… All while researching the best processes for give an appetizing appearance to the accessories.

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