A young Willy Wonka dreams of sharing his chocolate with the world at Galeries Gourmet in Wonka. After falling into unexpected debt, Willy must use his skills as a magician, inventor, and chocolatier to help himself and his new friends. Doing everything he can to thwart the schemes of the Chocolate Cartel, Willy takes the first steps towards becoming the world-famous chocolate maker he’ll become.
Wonka is based on Roald Dahl’s beloved character and book. Wonka stars Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman, and Hugh Grant. Paul King helms the movie as director and co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Farnaby.
Wonka 2: Will It Happen? Franchise Plans & Everything We Know
Willy Wonka got an origin story in 2023, but will Timothée Chalamet’s take on fiction’s most famous chocolatier get followed up with Wonka 2?
Screen Rant interviewed Calah Lane about Wonka. She explained what she learned from working with Chalamet and her other cast members. Lane also shared which sets were her favorite to explore, what King brought to the movie with his directing style, and which movie she would pair with Wonka for a double feature.
Calah Lane Praises Wonka’s Cast & Director
Screen Rant: Calah, I love Wonka. I love revisiting this movie. I am so happy it’s on the home entertainment release, because I can watch it over and over again. What did you learn from working with Timothée that you want to keep with you as an actor as you move forward throughout your career?
Calah Lane: I definitely just watched him. I’m a very observant person, so I like to watch other people. Definitely watching him on set was really cool because I would love to watch how he got into his character and how he was on set. He was always hyped. He was always ready.
And yeah, he’s such a great actor. And also being on this set with all these other amazing actors and actresses, just watching them do what they do and getting so much information at a young age gave me the confidence to do this for years to come. So it’s great.
Paul is the nicest mad scientist I’ve ever met when it comes to directing, especially with his use of color palettes and everything else. Can you talk to me about working with Paul and what his directing style added to Wonka?
Calah Lane: He’s such a good director. And I love that not only did he direct the film, but he wrote the film, him and Simon wrote the film. His writing is so detailed that you know exactly what he wants just by looking at what he typed. It’s crazy. He’s such a great director because he goes back and forth with us. He’s like, “Okay, you want to do this? Okay, no, you don’t want to do that. Okay, that’s cool. Let’s do this then.”
And he tries every single thing, does everything that we would want to do. Like, “Hey, I want to jump off the roof.” Not saying that he would let us do that, I’m just saying. But, “I want to do this”, and he would be like, “Okay. Well, let’s try that and then we’ll try my idea.” He was very open with everything, and yeah, he’s such a great director.
You also got to work with Jim Carter, Rakhee Thakrar, Natasha Rothwell, and Rich Fulcher. They’re absolutely incredible in this. Can you talk about working with them and your experience sharing the screen with them, and any fun stories you had with them?
Calah Lane: Working with the scrub house crew was so fun. When you just think about the scrub house crew, me, Timmy, Natasha, and everybody else, and it was just incredible being on set. And I remember one time we were filming the scene where we’re behind bars, and we’re all talking to each other. I remember going into one room, we were all in one room, and we practiced the lines together. And I felt like I was a part of this big thing.
And it was just so cool because all of these actors have been working for so long. I don’t know how long Jim’s been working, but it’s just crazy. And Natasha, she’s doing everything. She’s doing Insecure, she’s writing her own things. These are incredible people in this room and I’m in here with them. I loved it.
Wonka’s Home Release Further Explores Its Colorful Sets
One of the best special features really dives into how they built the practical sets. They were enormous, huge, and immersive. Which was your favorite set to explore and go on, and make you feel immersed in the world?
Calah Lane: My favorite set was definitely the set that was on the World of Your Own song, which is his chocolate shop. That was my favorite set because I played Noodle, so I am in a place that’s dull. My sets weren’t colorful.
And then, I walk into the set of Willy’s chocolate shop and it was just like, everything’s red, pink. It was so beautiful. And to see that, it was just incredible. And I can’t believe they built that. I don’t know how they did it, but they did it, and it looked incredible.
One thing I love about these home entertainment releases are that you can pair these films and do your own at-home double feature. So if you were to pair Wonka with any other film that aren’t other Willy Wonka movies, what would you pair Wonka with to do a double feature at home?
Wonka, and then I’ll probably watch a feel good Christmas film, maybe. Like a Home Alone. Those are two good fee lgood movies that I think, yeah.
About Wonka
A spectacular adventure—Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, one of the best-selling children’s books of all time. Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, “Wonka” tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician, and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today. An intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor.
Check out our other Wonka interviews:
- Natasha Rothwell & Calah Lane
- Paul King
- Paul King for Home Release
Wonka
Wonka is a prequel film to Roald Dahl’s classic novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and follows the origins of the legendary candy maker. From his first encounter with the Oompa Loompas to founding his deliciously magnificent headquarters, Wonka explores the character in a new light. Timothee Chalamet assumes the role of Willy Wonka himself.
- Director
- Paul King
- Release Date
- December 15, 2023
- Studio(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Writers
- Paul King , Simon Farnaby
- Cast
- Sally Hawkins , Olivia Colman , Keegan-Michael Key , Rowan Atkinson , Timothee Chalamet , Jim Carter
- prequel(s)
- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory , Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Budget
- $125 million
