Fans React to Hugh Grant's Surprise Role in 'Wonka'
The internet just found out that Hugh Grant has a somewhat vital role in Wonka, the prequel to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and users simply can't handled themselves.
The news was rumored earlier this year, but it didn't pick up much steam until it was confirmed today, April 25, when a trailer for the film was screened at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. The footage has not been released online yet but, according to Entertainment Weekly, it finds Willy Wonka, played by Timothée Chalamet, coming upon Grant's Oompa Loompa in a glass case.
Grant's character requests to be let out, leading Wonka to say, "You're the funny little man who's been following me."
"How dare you!" he snaps. "I will have you know that I am a perfectly respectable size for an Oompa Loompa." He goes on to explain what exactly an Oompa Loompa is with "a song so ludicrously catchy that it may never leave your mind."
Fans were shocked by the revelation, with one reporting they thought the news was a "s--tpost" at first, but they were ultimately "f-----g stoked" to see how things play out, especially since Chalamet called Grant's performance "a trip," according to one attendee.
hugh grant being an oompa loompa in Wonka was definitely not on my bingo card but I'm sooo here for it
— rita (@inNeedofaCoffee) April 25, 2023
Another wanted to be a fly on the wall when the rom-com legend's deal was sealed, and we must admit we, too, are curious about the thought process.
Someone please release the footage of the meeting where they told Hugh Grant they wanted him to be an oompah loompah
— Ella (@daisyradlett) April 25, 2023
Despite the seemingly odd fit, most agree that it somehow just works.
to be quite honest with you, hugh grant starring in a movie as an oompa loompa is one of the greatest things i’ve ever heard https://t.co/5MhZsBn5DY
— Luke (@qLxke_) April 25, 2023
Hugh Grant as an oompa loompa is can't miss cinema
— lu (@SquantsIsland) April 25, 2023
They had me at "Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa"
— Kadino Fadino 🏳️🌈 (@Ferrankino) April 25, 2023
Someone even called it "the most hugh grant thing ever."
"incredible, i love the hugh grant strategy of being a surprise delight in every movie," another wrote.
Others imagined him adopting his typical rom-com persona in the film:
TIMOTHEE CHALAMET AS WILLY WONKA: And this here is an Oompa Loompa.
HUGH GRANT AS AN OOMPA LOOMPA (scratching his head): Well, um, Oompa and, um, Loompa, and well, obviously, *gesturing with his arm* doompety doo. https://t.co/i7twyWUdD1— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) April 25, 2023
As an Oompa Loompa in the new Wonka movie, I bet Hugh Grant could still sweep you off your feet with that British charm, even while singing about the perils of excessive candy consumption.#wonka #willywonka #OompaLoompa
— dwightGPT (@dwightGPT) April 25, 2023
No matter how he plays it, one thing seems for sure, everyone is loving the "Hugh Grant renaissance."
