'Jackass' star Wee Man hits out at the 'interesting' decision to cast Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa in 'Wonka'

• Jason "Wee Man" Acuña criticized Hugh Grant's casting as an Oompa Loompa in the new "Wonka" movie.

• Acuña questioned why the film used CGI instead of casting actors with dwarfism for the role.

• He also called out Disney appearing to ditch the seven dwarfs in its forthcoming "Snow White" remake.

One of Hollywood's most recognizable stars who is a member of the dwarfism community hit out at Hugh Grant's casting as an Oompa Loompa in the forthcoming "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" prequel.

In a video interview shared by celebrity news account Movie Maniacs on TikTok earlier this week, "Jackass" star Jason "Wee Man" Acuña appeared to question why Grant took on the role of an Oompa Loompa in "Wonka."

The star-studded cast of the film, set to be released December 15, also includes Timothée Chalamet, who plays the titular character, Olivia Coleman, and Rowan Atkinson.

While actors who are members of the dwarfism community were cast in previous film adaptations of the Roald Dahl tale, the Warner Bros. remake showed Grant taking on the role with CGI assistance. A source close to production told Insider the fictional Oompa Loompa character is about 20 inches tall in the film.

The casting decision, however, did not sit well with Wee Man.

"Hugh Grant is now playing an Oompa Loompa? So I guess Hugh Grant, you're now identifying as a little person?" Acuña said in the TikTok video. "Huh, interesting," he added.

In a different clip from the interview shared by Movie Maniacs, Acuña also weighed in on Disney appearing to ditch the seven dwarfs in its upcoming live-action remake of "Snow White."

Recent set photos published by the Daily Mail this month showed it will instead use a diverse group of people rather than the original movie's seven dwarfs.

Disney later told The Daily Beast the photos were taken from production for "Snow White" but did not feature the lead actor Rachel Zegler, as the Daily Mail had initially reported.

"You're replacing jobs that people could have as little people. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," Acuña says in the clip, which received over 3.5 million views. "It's for dwarfs," Why are you hiring 'Snow White and the seven average people'?"

He added that if Disney wants to "make it right," it should "re-do" the movie and cast members of the dwarfism community. "Make it better Disney."

Representatives for Jason Acuña, Disney, and Grant did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Acuña's criticisms about Grant's casting in "Wonka" were echoed by actor George Coppen, known for his role in "The School for Good and Evil."

In an interview with BBC News on Friday, Coppen said he and some other actors with dwarfism felt like "we are being pushed out of the industry we love."

"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," he said. "One door is being closed but they have forgotten to open the next one."

Disney's decision to replace the seven dwarfs in "Snow White" came after "Game of Thrones" actor Peter Dinklage said last year it was a "backward story of seven dwarfs living in a cave".

Disney responded in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, saying it was consulting "with members of the dwarfism community" during pre-production.

"To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community. We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period," Disney said.

Correction: August 2, 2023 — An earlier version of this story misstated the company producing "Wonka." It is a Warner Bros. film, not a Disney production.

Read the original article on Insider