How Timothee Chalamet Was Cast as Wonka
5,390Timothée Chalamet Was Cast In Wonka Because Of His High-School Rap Videos On YouTube
Wonka director Paul King reveals Timothée Chalamet was cast in the titular role for the movie because of his high-school rap videos on YouTube.
Wonka director Paul King reveals that he cast Timothée Chalamet for the titular role of Willy Wonka because of the actor's high-school rap videos on YouTube. The Chalamet-led movie is a prequel to Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, following the story of Wonka before his days as a factory owner. The movie is also a musical, requiring Chalamet to sing and dance to the tune of multiple songs throughout.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, King revealed Chalamet had been cast in the lead role of Wonka because of his musical performances in high school, which are available on YouTube. The director said the viral rap videos proved that Chalamet could slip into the role of Wonka without needing to audition. Check out what King had to say below:
It was a straight offer because he’s great 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 from stanning for Timmy Chalamet that he could sing and dance really well.
And I knew that was in his arsenal, but I didn’t know how good he was. When I spoke to him he was quite keen. He’d done tap dancing in high school and he was like, ‘I’d quite like to show people I can do that.'
Given Chalamet's musical background in high school, it's no surprise King used this as a basis to cast the Dune star in Wonka. The first Wonka trailer reveals how whimsical the movie will be, as Chalamet's young Wonka tries to compete with other chocolate makers using his own magical candy. While it's unclear if Wonka will be rapping during the film, Chalamet previously revealed he performed seven musical numbers.
The happy nature Chalamet exhibits in the Wonka trailer underscores how the movie will have a fun energy about it. The movie's tone will likely pull inspiration from King's previous family features, both Paddington and Paddington 2. Because of King's positive track record in family features, Wonka may also end up being a successful prequel to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
How Wonka will be structured and what to expect from Chalamet's musical performances is currently unknown. However, since the movie seems will have a bright tone and a story full of heart, Wonka will no doubt have many moving songs from Chalamet's Wonka.
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