Sweeter than fiction! All of the candy in the latest Wonka film was edible, director reveals – after cast of the 1971 classic had to put up with ‘stinky’ and ‘disgusting’ fake chocolate
Every sweet thing eaten in Willy Wonka’s latest film can actually be eaten, according to the director – and there was even an in-house chocolatier on set.
Speaking to Radio Times, as reported TelegraphPaul King, who also worked on the Paddington films, said that “everything in the film is edible and tasty, even the flowers and leaves.”
Wonka, which opens in the UK on December 8, will tell the origin story of Roald Dahl’s eccentric protagonist.
And Mr. King said an expert was on hand to make sure that – unlike previous adaptations, in which the actors later said they worked with a fake “stinky” and “disgusting” chocolate river – the sweets in the film are just as good on tastes like they look.
Gabriella Cugno, a top-notch pastry chef and chocolatier, lent her talent to bring the fantastic creations from the film to life.
Every sweet thing eaten in Willy Wonka’s latest film can actually be eaten, according to the director – and there was even a full-time chocolatier on set.
Mr. King recounted one moment when he was inspired by the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
“One day an amazing thing happened on the set. I remembered the scene where Gene Wilder is eating a cup of tea,” he said.
“And I thought, ‘Oh, if I only thought of it, we could have a chocolate cup that Willie could make.’
With only an hour left before filming began, a “deadpan” Gabriella produced “half a dozen perfect little cups and saucers made from what looked like different blue leaves.”
Mr. King also praised her “hoverchocks,” which make people fly in the film. The chocolate maker prepared between 700 and 900 candies for the film.
Speaking in the past Entertainment WeeklyMs. Cugno described how she and Mr. King discussed ideas for sweets.
“On the first show and tell, I showed (Mr. King) about 10 different chocolates from the script, but I would have done maybe five different variations of one chocolate,” she explained.
“One of the variations could be a really wacky version or a really bland version. I would look at Paul and what is he gravitating towards in this particular scene?
“Each chocolate is so different. Little by little I will understand what his vision is.”
Director Paul King said an expert was on hand to ensure that – unlike the 1971 adaptation, where stars such as Augustus Gloop actor Michael Bollner (pictured) had to work with fake “smelly” and “disgusting” chocolate River – the sweets in the film taste as good as they look
The commitment to edible chocolates comes after the cast of the 1971 film adaptation spoke out in the past about the “disgusting” chocolate river used in the film.
Michael Bollner, who played Augustus Gloop, said Polygon in 2021: “It wasn’t actually chocolate. It was terribly cold. It was stinking water! And it was a whole day of jumping in and out and being around wet clothes.”
Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt) called the river “a disgusting thing that stood there for three weeks.”
She added: “There was a light and people were pouring leftover coffee from their cups into it.”
In accordance with PEOPLEGene Wilder himself stated that “about a third” of sweets consumed on set are actually edible.
However, the infamous scene with the cup of tea he was chewing on was made of wax and the actor had to bravely chew it until the take was completed.
We answer fan questions in Reddit nine years ago, Paris Temmen, who played Mike Teavee, said that “in general, if we ate it in the movie, it was real, and if we didn’t, it was fake.”
As PEOPLE reports, Gene Wilder himself said that “about a third” of the sweets consumed on set are actually edible. However, the infamous cup he chewed on was made of wax.
The gummy bears in the 1971 film, like the one Violet Beauregard (Denise Nickerson) ate, were plastic… although one actor revealed that the ears were edible.
He added: “The gummy bears in the Pure Imagination room were mostly plastic and had sticky ears. This is an example of how they did it.”
However, Mr. Temmen also said that they ate “several types of candy on set.”
“My favorite candy was actually the bubblegum that Violet eats and has a three-course meal,” he said on social media.
“In fact, it was not chewing gum, but a very tasty toffee-based candy. They used it in close-ups, so there weren’t many of them, and after I ate a couple, I asked for a third one, but they didn’t give me one.”
In his book Pure Imagination: The Making of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, director Mel Stewart also praised Harper Goff for creating the film’s artistic vision, saying: “Harper and his team covered the area with a fantastic carpet of colorful candy figures.
“There were giant mushrooms with whipped cream, chocolate trees and all sorts of other treats.”
Meanwhile, according to MetaflixIn Tim Burton’s 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Nestlé provided 1,850 real chocolate bars like the one in which the children find their golden tickets.
The company also gave away 110,000 fakes for a scene depicting them being made in a factory.
In Pure Imagination: The Making of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, director Mel Stewart also praised Harper Goff for creating the artistic vision for the film. starring Gene Wilder
The commitment to edible chocolates comes after the cast of the 1971 adaptation spoke in the past about the “disgusting” chocolate river used in the film, which is here filled with Oompa-Loompas.
In Tim Burton’s 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket, Nestlé provided 1,850 real chocolate bars, including the ones in which each of the children found their golden tickets.
Special effects artist Julian Driver explained how 1.25 million liters of faux chocolate were needed to recreate the river in the last film.
Vickers Laboratories, the company behind the infamous Chocolate River, also talked about the process.
Talking to World of chemistryCEO Julian Driver explained that this required 1.25 million liters of artificial chocolate.
“Hydroxyethyl cellulose is a gelling agent that causes water to thicken,” he added.
“We were able to control the viscosity of the final product by varying the amount of this material.”
Timothée Chalamet was paid £7 million to play the title character after reportedly beating out Tom Holland, Donald Glover, Ezra Miller and Ryan Gosling for the role.
Mr Driver continued: “We were asked to secure it for six weeks and it took twelve weeks to shoot, so towards the end we put all sorts of biocides in there to keep it from working… They were just asking for it to happen. rancid!
Willy Wonka’s origin story, based on Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, will be released in UK cinemas on December 8 and in US cinemas on December 15.
Wonka also includes Keegan-Michael Key, Matt Lucas, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant and newcomer Kala Lane.
Chalamet earned 9 million dollars to portray the title character after landing the role ahead of Tom Holland, Donald Glover, Ezra Miller and Ryan Gosling.
The eccentric genius was first played on film by Gene Wilder in Mel Stewart’s 1971 film. favorite classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.