Hugh Grant Being Cast As Oompa Loompa In New ‘Wonka’ Film Criticized By Actor With Dwarfism
30.07.2023 - 21:41
/ etcanada.com
Hugh Grant Being Cast as Oompa Loompa in New ‘Wonka’ Film Criticized by Actor with Dwarfism
Hugh Grant‘s casting in the upcoming “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” prequel, “Wonka”, is being criticized by actors with dwarfism.
In the trailer for the film, which was released earlier this month, Grant is seen as an Oompa Loompa, the name Roald Dahl used for the group of diminutive factory workers in his 1964 novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.
While it’s not clear if any actors with dwarfism are featured in the upcoming film, Oompa Loompas were played by actors with dwarfism in two previous films based on Roald Dahl’s book.
In a new interview from the BBC, George Coppen, an actor with dwarfism, said he believes the role should have been given to an actor with the condition.
“A lot of actors [with dwarfism] feel like we are being pushed out of the industry we love,” Coppen told the outlet.
He continued, “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. One door is being closed but they have forgotten to open the next one.”
Coppen, who is best known for his role as Sweet Cupid in the fantasy film “The School for Good and Evil”, had something to say about Grant’s exaggerated appearance in the trailer, telling the outlet, “They’ve enlarged his head so his head looks bigger. [I thought] what the hell have you done to him?”
ET has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment.
“Jackass” actor, Wee Man also had something to say about the casting, calling it “interesting.”
Wee Man, whose real name is, Jason Acuña, spoke to celebrity news account Movie Maniacs, where he shared his reaction to the trailer.
“Hugh Grant is now