Timothee Chalamet says he wanted to emulate Gene Wilder’s ‘childlike playfulness’ in ‘Wonka’
Timothée Chalamet is opening up on his inspiration for delving into playing young Willy Wonka in the new Paul King-directed film, "Wonka."
The upcoming film, which arrives in theaters on Dec. 15, focuses on Willy Wonka as a young chocolatier, sharing his origin story.
In an interview with "Good Morning America" at the "Wonka" premiere in Los Angeles, Chalamet said he wanted to bring Gene Wilder's "childlike playfulness" to the role.
"This is the companion piece to the Gene Wilder movie – they have a lot in common. By the time we see Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka, he's lost a couple marbles and he's kind of fried and this is not that version."
Chalamet also shared while appearing on "Good Morning America" that he sees his character in the film as an "ambitious, joyous, optimistic, sensitive, young Willy Wonka, not the sort of crazed chocolatier."
Wilder, who passed away in 2016, played Willy Wonka in director Mel Stuart's 1971 classic musical comedy, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," which captivated "Wonka" director Paul King as a kid.
"It's one of the movies I grew up with," King said of Stuart's film, which is based on Roald Dahl's beloved 1964 novel, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." "It's just so funny and strange and I loved Willy Wonka, I wanted to win a golden ticket, I wanted to go around that factory and see the Oompa Loompas."
He added, "It's been so lovely to dive into that world and make our own Willy Wonka story."
The director, who has also worked on the "Paddington" movies, said Chalamet was the perfect Willy Wonka in his film because he's an "incredible, magnetic performer."
"I just think he's got it all," King said. "You can't take your eyes off him. And he's funny, he's eccentric and he's also got this really strong emotional heart and he takes you on a journey in this movie."
Chalamet pulls out all the performance stops in "Wonka," with song and dance numbers alongside a star-studded cast that includes Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant, Keegan-Michael Key and Calah Lane.
And it was Chalamet's high school musical performances that caught the attention of King and made him think of the actor for the role of Willy Wonka, although Chalamet described those early performances as "really cringe, awful high school video."
"I was just having fun, I had no idea I would be able to act in really big movies in the future," Chalamet said. "I had no idea those videos would haunt me."
Chalamet's performance as the singular chocolatier has already earned him a Golden Globe nomination for best performance by a male actor in a motion picture -- musical or comedy. It's the same award for which Wilder was nominated in 1972 for his portrayal of Willy Wonka.
"It's the easiest movie to talk about," Chalamet said of "Wonka." "It's the most fun to talk about and my confidence grows in talking about it because it's just a treat. It makes people feel great."
"Wonka" is out in theaters today.
ABC News' Amanda Morris contributed to this story.
