“Wonka” director Paul King has been open about what drew him to cast Timothée Chalamet as a young version of the whimsical chocolatier: his YouTube videos from when he was in high school.
Fans of Chalamet are well aware of various online videos showcasing the actor’s pre-fame moments, where he can be seen singing, dancing, and even rapping about the intricacies of statistics. Notable among these is a fervent talent show performance of Nicki Minaj’s “Roman’s Revenge.”
During a Rolling Stone interview in July, King openly acknowledged that these videos played a crucial role in his decision to cast Chalamet. Recently, at the London premiere of “Wonka” on Tuesday night, Chalamet admitted that the clips did indeed “sort of” contribute to him securing the role, but he hinted that there’s more to the story.
When asked about the videos by Variety, Chalamet said: “I know, damn… they sort of did, in Paul’s words.”
Laughing, he later added, “That wasn’t exclusively what got me the part. He also liked the other movies I did!” director Paul King
Meanwhile, King stood by his comments at the premiere, telling Variety: “This being the 21st century, his adolescence is very well-documented on YouTube. I’m so glad to come from a time when that was not the case for me, or I would never be allowed to go out in public again. But he may have just had the edge on me in the singing and acting department.”
And though Chalamet proves his singing and dancing chops in “Wonka,” there’s one thing he doesn’t have in common with the character: his undying love for chocolate.