Timothee Chalamet, the star of ‘Dune’ and ‘Call Me by Your Name,’ got vocal coaching from Eric Vetro, a top vocal coach for artists like Ariana Grande and Katy Perry.
He’s gearing up to play a younger Willy Wonka in the musical film ‘Wonka,’ a story that delves into the early days of Roald Dahl’s famous character.
Chalamet acknowledged the challenge of taking on such a beloved role, saying, “It was daunting because the character’s beloved, people are very protective over characters they love and skeptical about Hollywood remakes. But I think we did a great job. I’m very happy with the film.”
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The 27-year-old actor shared that a significant part of his preparation involved working with Vetro in Los Angeles for vocal training, stating, “A lot of training, a lot of vocal lessons with Eric Vetro in LA, a lot of work.”
‘Wonka’ follows the character as he arrives in a fictional city after years at sea, hoping to open his own chocolate shop. Along the way, he befriends a young orphan girl and an Oompa Loompa played by Hugh Grant.
The film, directed by Paul King (‘Paddington’), aims to be a companion piece to the classic Gene Wilder movie, incorporating clues from Roald Dahl’s hints about Willy Wonka’s life before ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’
“We wanted to make a movie that would stand as a companion piece to the Gene Wilder movie, which obviously has these enduring classic songs,” explained King, with Simon Farnaby, the co-writer, adding, “There’s a lot of clues that Roald Dahl left as to what Willy did before ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’
So we felt confident if we just picked up on those clues, we could make something that Roald Dahl would be proud of.”