There was always going to be a level of scrutiny directed towards Warner Bros’ big prequel movie Wonka. Merely daring to expand the legacy of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was enough to set fans off, but, of course, there are other subjects that tend to be hot topics. The casting of Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa in the upcoming 2023 movie became one such point of order, and once again, director Paul King is defending and explaining his choice with some sound logic.
Speaking with Total Film ahead of his film’s December release date, the Paddington 2 director brought his previous experience with Grant into account for part of this decision. At the same time, King doubled down on previous inspiration, as revealed below:
I was enchanted by the idea of these impossibly tiny beings, far smaller even than the child-sized me. The voice and the attitude of the Oompa Loompa came from revisiting the books – long songs full of humor, sarcasm, superiority and scorn. So it was really just thinking about that character – someone who can be a real shit. And I went, 'Ah, Hugh [Grant]!' Because he's the funniest, most sarcastic shit that I've ever met! We'd been there before with Paddington 2. I had to write him this awkward letter, saying, 'You're good at playing washed-up, old hams…' Once you see Hugh Grant as an 18-inch high orange man with green hair, you go, 'Ah, yes. I know what Oompa Loompas are. It all makes perfect sense.'
From a character standpoint, Paul King’s reference to Paddington 2 makes a lot of sense. Come to think of it, if Wonka existed in that cinematic world, you could almost be assured that Hugh Grant’s Phoenix Buchanan would be cast as an Oompa Loompa himself. It’s a fun case of art imitating life, but with a good history of reality to back it up.
Naturally there was bound to be some controversy kicked up with this casting as well. This discussion takes place not too long after WWE star Dylan “Hornswoggle” Postl shared his thoughts on the recent non-dwarf casting for Disney’s Snow White remake. With the argument that parts such as these should keep with traditionally casting dwarf actors, fuel is only added to the fire of discourse.
One can definitely see that point, but also argue that Hugh Grant’s performance helps sell Wonka to even the most jaded observer. The conversation surrounding this decision probably won’t die down any time soon, but at least Paul King has shown his work and given a firm explanation for why he made his decision.
All that's left to do now is wait and see what the reaction is to this next chapter of pure imagination. The countdown to Wonka’s sweet debut is on, with December 15th being the day it all hopefully pays off.
