Why Casting Hugh Grant As An Oompa Loompa In Wonka 'Made Perfect Sense'
The trailer for the forthcoming film "Wonka" revealed a star-studded cast, but perhaps the most exciting cameo of the bunch was a bite-sized Hugh Grant, who plays an Oompa Loompa — possibly the very first one to work at Wonka's world-famous chocolate factory. The film tells the origin story of the Willy Wonka we all know and love, but a big part of that story involves his little orange henchmen. Now, not much is known about the Oompa Loompas, but we do know they have a knack for song and dance with a touch of snark and a holier-than-thou attitude. Director Paul King immediately knew the perfect actor for the role — and they'd already worked together.
Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" has been adapted for film numerous times, with the quirky chocolatier famously depicted by Gene Wilder in 1971 and Johnny Depp in 2005. But to find the true nature of the Oompa Loompa, Paul King returned to the original text for reference.
"The voice and the attitude of the Oompa Loompa came from revisiting the books — long songs full of humor, sarcasm, superiority, and scorn," he explained in an interview with Total Film. "So it was really just thinking about that character — someone who can be a real s***. And I went, 'Ah, Hugh [Grant]!' Because he's the funniest, most sarcastic s*** that I've ever met!"
Grant and King first met while working on "Paddington 2," in which Grant plays the egomaniacal villain Phoenix Buchanan. Phoenix is a thief and a washed-up actor with a similarly pompous temperament to the Oompa Loompas. King immediately thought of Grant for both roles — but asking him to play such an unlikable character was not easy.
Grant is the 'funniest, most sarcastic' person the Wonka director knows
When King first co-wrote the script for "Paddington 2," he knew he wanted Grant to play the villain. Even though the "Wonka" director rightly anticipated that the "Love, Actually" star would be perfect for the part, he was nervous to approach him about it. The role wasn't exactly flattering, and he wasn't sure how Grant would take it.
"He seemed to have sort of retired at the time," King recalled in conversation with Vanity Fair. "We wrote this very awkward letter — 'We've come up with this role, of a kind of vain, washed-up old ham, whose best days are sort of behind him, his lips are sort of heading south along with his jawline, and we thought of you.' Luckily he saw the funny side."
The "Notting Hill" star took the role, but it ended up being a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. When Grant's part in "Paddington 2" was announced at the Golden Globes, "people were full of derision," Grant recalled to VF. "'Christ, has it come to that. Poor old Hugh. 'Paddington 2.' Sequel to a kids film.'" The negative reaction didn't deter him from celebrating the film though — in fact, he still believes "it may be the best film I've ever been in."
Grant's sense of humor is exactly what made his part in "Paddington 2" so great, and it was also why King wanted to work with him again for "Wonka." He knew that the British actor encapsulated the precise brand of sarcasm and whimsy that was trademark to the Oompa Loompa. "Once you see Hugh Grant as an 18-inch high orange man with green hair, you go, 'Ah, yes. I know what Oompa Loompas are," the director told Total Film. "It all makes perfect sense.'"
The Oompa Loompas in Wonka might be more 'marmalade sandwich' than macabre
The Oompa Loompas are responsible for delivering punishments to naughty children while singing witty (yet ominous) songs of explanation. The comedy in these songs is dark, but King considers himself to be a much more light-hearted writer than Dahl.
"I'm not sure my soul is quite as dark as Roald Dahl's," the director admitted to Games Radar. "I've tried to channel his spirit as much as possible, so there's definitely some of the cynicism and hopefully some exciting bits and some scarier bits. I'm not sure I've quite got that 'Tales of the Unexpected', macabre imagination that he had, so it might be a bit more 'marmalade sandwich.'"
King's aforementioned "marmalade sandwich" imagination is a reference to his delightful Paddington films, which definitely err on the side of sunshine. Grant's performance in "Paddington 2" proves that he can provide the perfect shade of cynicism and cartoonish villainy in a colorful and upbeat film like "Paddington 2" and "Wonka," which both share a highly optimistic protagonist ripped from the pages of a children's book.
"Wonka" doesn't hit theaters until December, but there's no doubt that Grant was the perfect choice for an Oompa Loompa. As King says, the British heartthrob was born to play a cheeky bloke — even if said bloke is eighteen inches tall. Here's hoping that he has the chance to do a little song and dance like that unforgettable prison number!