Timothée Chalamet is about to be front and center for the world to see, in more ways than one. While this weekend’s slate of 2024 movies marks his return in Dune: Part Two, the surprise 2023 box office hit Wonka is now available for convenient home viewing as well. That’s a pretty sweet deal, but co-writer/director Paul King told CinemaBlend about another tale regarding what sweetened the pot on this whole experience. And, as anyone who’s read our Wonka review could guess, it involves an appropriately angry Hugh Grant.
I was thrilled to speak with the Paddington director recently, in support of Wonka’s current release on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD. That conversation gave us plenty of time to discuss subjects like capturing the essence of Roald Dahl and why his Mighty Boosh sensibilities helped stick the landing. And, of course, we also chatted about whether or not the filmmaker endorses that theory involving the coin Charlie finds in the drain being the infamous last sovereign Timothée Chalamet’s Wonka loses down the drain.
So when I asked Mr. King who he thought the most surprisingly good singer was in his cast, besides Chalamet of course, he gave me a really humorous answer. The British director described one of his most joyful moments while making the fantasy film by sharing this comment with CinemaBlend:
Hugh I know can sing, but I didn’t know he’d go for the ‘Oompa Loompa Song’ with quite the commitment and dedication, and stone cold serious expression on his face. That was definitely the highlight for me. I’ve never seen angrier singing in the history of the movies, and it brought me a huge amount of joy.
That angry singing could be credited towards two very legitimate sources. One contributing factor would be Hugh Grant’s hatred for Wonka’s filming process. The actual discomfort that Paul King’s Paddington 2 collaborator felt while acting out his mo-cap role probably fueled the cranky nature of his character, Lofty.
Also, Wonka’s main Oompa Loompa figure was a cross character to begin with, thanks to his backstory involving exile from his native land. So the material provided by Paul King and co-writer Simon Farnaby gave the Notting Hill star a pretty big base of grumpiness to launch off of.
Put the two together, and you’ve got one of the moments that actually made me a believer merely after seeing Wonka’s first trailer. For reference, and the sake of convenience, I'll include that footage below; because it's not fair to reference Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa and not show off the goods:
I might not be the only person who's digging this, as Wonka’s still in the domestic box office top 10, as Bob Marley: One Love continues to rule the box office. Not to mention you have old-school Willy Wonka fans, including our own Rich Knight, who believe Wonka is the best chapter of Willy’s story. While that might taper off in the theatrical market, the home release should be set to find fresh and returning audience members flocking to this film with ease.
Should all of this hoopla result in a Wonka sequel, one would have to presume that Paul King and Simon Farnaby have a good idea on how to move closer towards bridging the gap with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Let’s just hope they also have a solid plan for convincing Hugh Grant to return as Lofty, because it just wouldn’t be the same without him; angry singing and all.
You can purchase Wonka on Amazon or wherever you buy and rent physical/digital media. Also, if you happen to have a Max subscription, Timothée Chalamet’s musical merriment will start streaming for you to enjoy on March 8th. So there’s plenty of opportunity to get caught up in the pure imagination of this truly sweet prequel.
