Timothée Chalamet, 27, has everyone talking about his upcoming film, Wonka, after the London premiere took place on November 28. While on the red carpet at the highly-anticipated event, the Dune star spoke to E! News and revealed whether or not he asked Johnny Depp, 60, for advice on the iconic character of Willy Wonka. “No,” the 27-year-old confirmed in regards to speaking to the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory star.
Although Johnny’s version of Willy Wonka in 2005 was impressive, Timmy was more inspired by the 1971 film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. “I love the Gene Wilder version,” he added. “The Gene Wilder version I saw first… technically because that’s the one I grew up on.” The Hollywood heartthrob then explained that Johnny’s version of the film was released when he was “10 or 11 years old.” He even went as far as to call the now 60-year-old’s take on the character “very bold.”
A few months prior to the film’s premiere, Wonka director Paul King, 45, revealed that Timothee did not audition for the role. “It was a straight offer because he’s great and he was the only person in my mind who could do it,” he told Rolling Stone in July. “But because he’s Timothée Chalamet and his life is so absurd, his high school musical performances are on YouTube and have hundreds of thousands of views.” He also added that as a longtime fan of Timmy he knew that he could “sing and dance really well.”
Timothee also opened up to PEOPLE at the premiere and spoke about how this role was different than his previous projects. “The challenges were just to live and love the tone of it,” he explained. “I realized everything I’ve worked on [has had a] grounded seriousness to it, and here I had to loosen up and play, kind of like I did in high school, but I hadn’t done in 10 years or something. So, that was the learning curve. But once it was in full swing, then it felt like we were cookin.’”
The Lady Bird star’s film comes amid his romance with Kylie Jenner, 26, who reportedly attended the premiere in London. A source told PEOPLE on November 29 that although The Kardashians star wasn’t spotted on the red carpet, she did show up to the event for her beau. The insider also revealed that Kylie popped by the afterparty to support Timmy and the rest of the cast. Fans in the U.S. can catch Wonka in theaters beginning December 15.
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