WONKA Star Hugh Grant Says He "Hated" Playing An Oompa Loompa; Rotten Tomatoes Score Revealed

WONKA Star Hugh Grant Says He "Hated" Playing An Oompa Loompa; Rotten Tomatoes Score Revealed

The first reviews for Wonka are in, and while critics were (mostly) won over by Paul King's prequel, one of the movie's stars seems a lot less enthusiastic!

By MarkCassidy - Dec 06, 2023 08:12 AM EST
Filed Under: Fantasy
Source: Via SFF Gazette

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee... don't.

The review embargo for Paddington director Paul King's Wonka has now lifted, and with 80 verdicts counted, an early Rotten Tomatoes score for the family-friendly prequel has been revealed.

Currently, Wonka sits at an impressive 84% on the popular review aggregator (though it's yet to be "Certified Fresh").

The majority of critics seem to have been won over by King's whimsical origin story for the eccentric chocolatier, with many praising the set design, songs, and joyfully light-hearted tone. Timothée Chalamet's lead performance was also singled out, although some felt the Dune star's attempts to recapture the quirky personalty traits of Gene Wilder's most famous interpretation of the character didn't quite work.

The consensus seems to be, if you liked the Paddington movies, you should have a good time with Wonka - but don't expect it to live up to the 1971 classic.

In related news, Hugh Grant, who plays the Oompa Loompa in the movie, didn't seem to have the best experience while shooting his motion capture scenes as the diminutive songster.

When asked to describe the process during an interview with Metro, Grant called it "drivel," adding that, "It was like a crown of thorns, very uncomfortable. I made a big fuss about it. I couldn’t have hated the whole thing more."

Grant went on to note that he was unsure throughout whether he was supposed to "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."

Asked if it was all worth it when he saw the film, he shrugged, "not really."

Grant has made a habit out of this sort of curmudgeonly behaviour during press tours, so we wouldn't take his comments too seriously!

Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, Wonka tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.

From Paul King, writer/director of the Paddington films, David Heyman, producer of Harry Potter, Gravity, Fantastic Beasts and Paddington, and producers Alexandra Derbyshire (the Paddington films, Jurassic World: Dominion) and Luke Kelly (Roald Dahl’s The Witches), comes an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor.

Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.

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mountainman
mountainman - 12/6/2023, 8:44 AM
Wait? This is another one that little people didn’t get cast in the roles?

Peter Dinklage!!!!
Matador
Matador - 12/6/2023, 9:00 AM
@mountainman - Thanks Mr. Dinklage they took our jooooobs!

Origame
Origame - 12/6/2023, 9:09 AM
@mountainman - Peter dinklage hates little people more than anyone else on the planet 🤣
BeNice123
BeNice123 - 12/6/2023, 9:13 AM
@mountainman - ikr? I havent heard little guys complaining about it. Lol.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 12/6/2023, 12:36 PM
@mountainman - He's monopolized the market
Kadara
Kadara - 12/6/2023, 1:07 PM
@BeNice123 - They didn't want to make a big fuss about it 😏
SpiderBrad
SpiderBrad - 12/6/2023, 1:35 PM
@Matador - Dey taarrrkkk eeerrr jeeerrrrbs
Unites
Unites - 12/6/2023, 8:47 AM
Did u make 'Rotten Tomatoes' red on purpose in the headline because negativity generates more clicks?
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 12/6/2023, 8:51 AM
@Unites - No, I made it brown for chocolate.
Matador
Matador - 12/6/2023, 8:57 AM
@MarkCassidy -

Batmangina
Batmangina - 12/6/2023, 8:54 AM
Thank God a Cis Gendered white guy got the role of the lil orange guy.
philinterrupted
philinterrupted - 12/6/2023, 9:14 AM
@Batmangina - should have cast a little orange man.

Batmangina
Batmangina - 12/6/2023, 9:25 AM
@philinterrupted - I could see it if they had a KING of Oompa Loompas that ATE the rest of them. That would be plausible. 🤣
GhostDog
GhostDog - 12/6/2023, 9:02 AM
What a great way to promote your film lol. Who asked for this movie?

We wanted Paddington 3 sooner Paul!
Matador
Matador - 12/6/2023, 9:14 AM
@GhostDog - I wanted a Megaforce reboot but instead were getting a Garfield movie voiced by Chris Pratt.
supermanrex
supermanrex - 12/6/2023, 10:47 AM
@GhostDog - he knew what the hell he was signing up for. sooooooo why did he do it and then come out all pissy and shit.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 12/6/2023, 10:55 AM
@supermanrex - exactly. And if he did his due diligence he would probe other actors who have done mo-cap and get an idea of what he was in for. I get not enjoying it but you should have known what was coming to some extent.
Origame
Origame - 12/6/2023, 11:22 AM
@GhostDog - it's entirely possible he was misled about what it entailed.

For example, the oompa loompas weren't cgi in the remake and instead used perspective and green screen to make them appear shorter.

It's possible they didn't reveal he would be doing mocap for the role is what I'm saying.
tylerzero
tylerzero - 12/6/2023, 12:33 PM
@Matador -

I can get behind Pratt as a modern replacement Barry Bostwick in Megaforce than Bill Murray in Garfield.
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 12/6/2023, 1:20 PM
@Matador - YESSSSSSS

Matador
Matador - 12/7/2023, 8:38 AM
@tylerzero -



LOL That did not even cross my mind, I'm saluting you sir for a great call!
BeNice123
BeNice123 - 12/6/2023, 9:12 AM
Disappointed in hugh, And i thought he was one of the greats. How the [frick] do you not know how to play an Oompa? Lol.
tmp3
tmp3 - 12/6/2023, 9:34 AM
Grant’s really funny, but I can understand his dislike for the motion capture process. I kind of knew this movie was gonna be, at worst, pretty good due to Paul King - so it was always surprising to see all the negativity online.
Side-note but I reread the original book and was shocked at how funny it was. Wonka is the ultimate ass shit corporate CEO, telling his immigrant labor force that he’ll “pay them in cocoa beans” and claiming to be deaf whenever a potential HR concern was raised. Chalamet’s turn looks… very different from that haha
GhostDog
GhostDog - 12/6/2023, 9:40 AM
@tmp3 - I think the negativity stems from whatever Chalamet is doing with his take.
tmp3
tmp3 - 12/6/2023, 10:20 AM
@GhostDog - i already accepted i won’t love chalamet, but his performance doesn’t look so bad that it’ll derail the whole train. It looked like a very high quality movie outside of that and the oompah loompah cgo
thedrudo
thedrudo - 12/6/2023, 9:38 AM
I’m excited for this.

And no - you can’t cast a little person as an Oompa. That would make Pete Dink irate because a little person can play more than small characters.
WhatIfRickJames
WhatIfRickJames - 12/6/2023, 9:43 AM
Hugh Grant has become such a crotchety old bastard in his later years. His Oscars red carpet interview was so classically uncomfortable. Of course he hated this... then why take the job, Hugh?
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 12/6/2023, 12:15 PM
@WhatIfRickJames - Always had the idea he probably gets a lot out of acting, just totaly hates interviews and the press even when contractualy obliged to do a press tour so developed this scrooge personna in the hope studios stop forcing him to do them and the press all leave him alone...

...or he is just turning into a crotchety old bastard, dunno, dont care tbh, lol.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 12/6/2023, 9:49 AM
The director made point to say that he hired Hugh Grant specifically for his personality and wicked sense of humor. This is all just beautifully playing up into that.
GeneralZod
GeneralZod - 12/6/2023, 9:53 AM
OT. Norman Lear dead at 101.
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 12/6/2023, 10:03 AM
@GeneralZod - wow he produced a lot of the early black sitcoms. RIP to the legend
RolandD
RolandD - 12/6/2023, 5:44 PM
@GeneralZod - RIP!
RolandD
RolandD - 12/6/2023, 5:48 PM
@MyCoolYoung - All in the Family was his first big hit. I did not realize until now that he did Sanford and Son. “I’m coming Elizabeth. It’s s the big one!”
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 12/6/2023, 6:11 PM
@RolandD - I saw. He was coming wit it. He did the Jefferson which I believe Is a spin off from that
RolandD
RolandD - 12/6/2023, 6:14 PM
@MyCoolYoung - It absolutely was. All in the Family also launched Rob Reiner’s career as an actor at least.
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 12/6/2023, 10:05 AM
I find most of these movies weird and not that good even the classic and here my dumbass is probably going to watch it
LSHF
LSHF - 12/6/2023, 1:42 PM
@MyCoolYoung - I watched and bought the other two, so I'll probably at least watch this one (on streaming).
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