Hugh Grant “hated” playing Oompa Loompa in Wonka

Timothée Chalamet as Willy WonkaWarner Bros. Pictures

Hugh Grant revealed that he “hated” playing the role of Oompa Loompa when cast in the musical prequel Wonka.

One of the most anticipated movies for this holiday sequel is undoubtedly the chocolate themed prequel film Wonka.

Set years before the events of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka chronicles the famous candy maker’s life before he locked himself within his factory.

The cast of the film is quite stacked with the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Olivia Colman, and Keegan Michael-Key, but one cast member, Hugh Grant, revealed how much he hated his assigned film role.

Article continues after ad

Grant disliked his role as Wonka’s trusted lackey

It’s no secret that playing a mostly animated or CGI character can be quite difficult and Grant wasn’t immune from this issue.

While speaking to the Metro UK, Grant described constantly being surrounded by cameras and other tools to help the film’s animators capture his face as “a crown of thorns [and] very uncomfortable.”

“I made a big fuss about it,” Grant stated about the tools used in Wonka, “I couldn’t have hated the whole thing more [I didn’t w]act with my body or not, and I never received a satisfactory answer. And frankly, what I did with my body was terrible, and it’s all been replaced with an animator.”

Article continues after ad
Hugh Grant's Oompa Loompa in WonkaWarner Bros.

Grant went on to add that, because he didn’t know what to do with his body while filming, he considered “what [he] did with [his] body was terrible, and it’s all been replaced with an animator.”

The actor finished the interview by stated a harsh truth, “‘I slightly hate [making films] but I have lots of children and need money.’

Wonka premieres in theaters on December 15 in the U.S. To check out more of Dexerto’s TV and movie coverage, click here.

Article continues after ad