The director for the upcoming “Wonka” movie described the sheer amount of chocolate the cast ate during filming, joking that he couldn’t understand how lead actor Timothée Chalamet didn’t gain weight.
“I’ve [gained] about 50 pounds, but I hope I can lose it before [the movie] comes out,” the film’s director and co-writer Paul King told People during a recent interview.
“It’s a miracle that Timmy remains so slim and handsome,” King joked about the film’s star. “I’m trying to fatten him up, but it’s hard to do.”
The musical fantasy film “Wonka” is a prequel to the 1971 classic “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” which starred Gene Wilder. The Warner Bros. production will follow Chalamet in the titular role as he begins his career as a chocolatier. It is currently scheduled for a December 2023 release date.
When asked just how much chocolate the cast and crew ate on set, King said it was a “great deal, which was a wonderful thing” and helped establish the idea that his “life had taken a wonderful turn.”
“We had this incredible chocolatier,” the director told People. “She made these incredible concoctions, and we would taste them. They tasted much better than they needed to, because obviously actors are good at pretending things, but the miracle was they tasted every bit as good as they looked.”
He went on to describe one scene involving Chalamet’s Wonka and his friend Noodle (Calah Lane) being submerged into a literal vat of chocolate.
“We actually made an enormous vat of hot chocolate — not scalding, just warm hot chocolate for them to immerse themselves in,” King said. “So there was a lot of chocolate around.”
Last week, the director praised Chalamet’s performance in “Wonka” and said fans would be impressed with the range of his skills.
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“I think what’s so remarkable about his performance is not only that he is funny and mischievous and quite mysterious, as well — just like the Willy Wonka that people will know — but also, he brings such heart to the role and he’s a brilliant actor,” the director said. “He’s incredibly emotionally intelligent and can bring a great deal of emotional truth to the role.”
He said viewers will see how the actor “can also sing and dance brilliantly.”
“It’s really a tour de force for him there,” King said. “He was rehearsing for months before we went to kind of that honing skills, which was a pleasure to watch.