Timothée Chalamet Reveals Wonka Being His Most Challenging Role
Timothée Chalamet shares how Wonka has been his most challenging role yet, and the singing and dancing didn’t always come easy.
Timothée Chalamet brings a fresh spin on the beloved classic Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
In Chalamet’s newest project, Wonka, the actor portrays the chocolatier’s origin story while bringing to light his singing and dancing skills. “This was the most physically challenging project I have done yet,” the actor shared to the press at the film’s Los Angeles premiere on Sunday.
Timothee Chalamet for the @WonkaMovie LA premiere. #Wonka #WonkaMovie #TimotheeChalamet pic.twitter.com/g03uvsr1IR
— Glitter Magazine (@glittermagazine) December 11, 2023
“I can’t say the singing and dancing comes easy. I’ve been around musical theater my whole life, and danced a little bit in high school, but this was on a different level,” he continued.
Chalamet gave reporters insight into how different this film was from anything he had done in the past.
Timothee Chalamet, the cast and director, for the @WonkaMovie LA premiere. #Wonka #WonkaMovie #TimotheeChalamet @natasharothwell @calahlane #HughGrant #PaulKing @KeeganMKey pic.twitter.com/QOsKiUpkgH
— Glitter Magazine (@glittermagazine) December 11, 2023
“It’s different doing it on film. You’ve got to keep being in the center of the frame while dancing, you’ve got to rehearse for months, you’ve got to be on for every take — take 12 and all other takes — and dance with professional dancers, who are icing their ankles. That’s how serious they were taking it. So it was a big challenge.”
In preparation for his role in Wonka, Chalamet spent three months in choreography boot camp with Tony winner Christopher Gattelli, learning intricate dance numbers that included an array of styles such as tap, waltz, and a flying sequence that would require him and costar Calah Lane to be harnessed in the air.
Timothée Chalamet on the set of Wonka.
— cinemabang.com (@CinemabangCom) December 9, 2023
Review at https://t.co/luU4qY14kf#TimotheeChalamet #Wonka #WonkaMovie pic.twitter.com/nAxMhj0f3M
In addition to his dance training, the actor also did vocal training with British music supervisor James Taylor. Chalamet performs six original songs, including a new rendition of “Pure Imagination” throughout the film.
“Singing ‘Pure Imagination,’ almost felt sacrilegious to go near, cause Gene Wilder does it so perfectly,” stated the actor. “Gene Wilder’s version is the best, as it should be, and the song is sort of the centerpiece of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. But my version of the song is sort of the send-off in our movie. The song is the same, but the messaging is a little different.”
Be sure to watch Wonka in theaters on December 15. Audiences can purchase tickets in advance here.
