Upcoming fantasy musical movie “Wonka” is in hot water for its Oompa Loompa casting.
George Coppen, an actor with dwarfism, is not pleased with Hugh Grant portraying the character, claiming that an actor with dwarfism should have been offered the role in the film, which stars Timothée Chalamet as the iconic chocolatier.
Best known for “The School for Good and Evil,” “Artemis Fowl,” and Disney+ “Willow” series, Coppen felt that “we are being pushed out of the industry we love,” as reported in an interview. He revealed that dwarfs, including himself, contend that they should be taken into consideration when it comes to being cast in everyday roles in films and series, but reality is that they aren’t given those roles. “One door is being closed but they have forgotten to open the next one,” he added.
“Wonka,” directed by Paul King, is the prequel to the 1971 “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” adapted from Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” In the trailer released this month, Wonka is seen interacting with the Oompa Loompa, who says that he’s a “perfectly respectful size for an Oompa Loompa.”
At first look into the film, Coppen noted that Grant’s head had been enlarged to create a kind of illusion, and thought, “‘What the hell have you done to him?’”
In a prior interview with King, he explained why he decided on Grant as the best fit for the 20-inch tall Oompa Loompa. He said, “I was really just thinking about that character; somebody who could be a real sh**, and then — ah! Hugh! Because he’s the funniest, most sarcastic sh** I’ve ever met.”
It can be recalled that in two previous film adaptations—the 1971 film and Tim Burton’s 2005 film adaptation—actors with dwarfism were cast to play the Oompa Loompas who work at Wonka’s factory.
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