Actor George Coppen has criticized the casting of Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa in the upcoming movie Wonka.
The upcoming fantasy comedy movie stars Timothée Chalamet as Willy Wonka in a prequel to the original 1971 movie serving as an origin story for the world’s most famous chocolatier. The movie features a star-studded ensemble cast, including Keegan Michael-Key, Olivia Colman, and Rowan Atkinson.
One casting choice that received criticism was Hugh Grant. Coppen, an actor with dwarfism who has appeared in Artemis Fowl, The School for Good and Evil, and Willow, criticized the choice to cast Grant, a fully-statured actor, as the short-statured Oompa-Loompa. “A lot of actors [with dwarfism] feel like we are being pushed out of the industry we love,” he said.
“A lot of people, myself included, argue that dwarfs should be offered everyday roles in dramas and soaps, but we aren’t getting offered those roles. One door is being closed, but they have forgotten to open the next one.” On the topic of Grant, he said, “They’ve enlarged his head so his head looks bigger. [I thought] what the hell have you done to him?”
Another reason this may be considered a step back is that in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and in the 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Oompa-Loompas were portrayed by actors with dwarfism. This is the first time an actor without dwarfism has portrayed one of these characters.
When is the Wonka release date?
The Wonka movie is set to release on December 15, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures.
The cast includes Timothée Chalamet, Keegan-Michael Key, Rowan Atkinson, Sally Hawkins, Olivia Colman, Jim Carter, Matt Lucas, Natasha Rothwell, Tom Davis, Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Rich Fulcher, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, and Paterson Joseph as Arthur Slugworth with Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa.
