Timothée Chalamet was worried that ‘Wonka’ was initially a ‘cynical money grab’

nypost.com:

Wonka” was another “cynical money grab” by Hollywood amid the film industry’s ongoing reboot trend. “Like many people, when there are remakes, I feel very protective over the original character and versions you love,” Chalamet, 27, told GameRadar+ on Monday. “Your eyebrows go up with skepticism about [whether] this is a legitimate, worthwhile story or a cynical money grab.”However, according to the “Dune” star, he knew immediately that this reincarnation of Roald Dahl’s beloved tale was something more than it let on. “The song ‘Hat Full of Dreams’ was in there,” Chalamet said, referring to the film’s opening number. “And there was no music to accompany it, but the lyrics were so clever.” “[It’s] about this young Willy, who was definitively not the crazy, cynical, kind of jaded, brain-fried version that we see in the two prior films but was very hopeful, young, ambitious, won’t-take-no-for-an-answer, maybe a little naive,” he continued. “I think that’s very clever.”Chalamet is the third actor to portray the famous chocolatier, succeeding both Gene Wilder, who originated the role in 1971, and Johnny Depp in the 2005 remake, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Chalamet’s version reportedly focuses on Wonka’s worldwide adventures and his meeting and subsequent partnership with the Oompa Loompas, rather than his search for a successor.According to director Paul King, casting the “Call Me By Your Name” star was a no-brainer, and he offered the role to Chalamet without an audition. “He was the only person in my mind who could do it,” King, 45, told Rolling Stone.

Hugh Grant, who plays a green-haired Oompa Loompa, revealed that he had a less than a scrumdiddlyumptious time on the film’s set.