Dawrf actors have slammed the casting of Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa in the new Willy Wonka film.
They said “normies” – actors of average height – have been increasingly taking their jobs, making life difficult, as they blasted Hollywood firms for turning their backs on dwarf stars.
Former WWE wrestling star Hornswoggle, real name Dylan Postl, said he can’t believe movie executives have spent extra money making a CGI little person version of British movie star Hugh when they could have just hired real-life dwarves.
He said: “Don’t get me started on the forthcoming Willy Wonka movie.
“In Mel Stuart’s 1971 version, he cast 10 dwarfs to play the Oompa Loompas. In Tim Burton’s 2005 remake, the role went to 4ft 4in Gurdeep Roy, who was digitally cloned.
“So why has the role now gone to 5ft 11in Hugh Grant?”
He added: “People need to see real dwarf actors in blockbuster fantasy movies.”
The Degenerates star Brad Williams took to Twitter to also share his frustration over Grant’s casting.
The stand-up comedian said: “Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa? I’m really torn about this.
“One part of me is like ‘hey, we are more than just elves, leprechauns and Oompa Loompas,’ but then this comes out and I want to scream ‘How dare they not cast a dwarf as the Oompa Loompa!’ #NotMyWonka”.
(Image: Wolper/Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
He also uploaded a picture showing the tiny green Hugh in his new role with the words: “Dwarfs seeing Hugh Grant as the Oompa Loompa in the new Wonka – THEY TOOK ’ER JOBS!”
The release of the film’s trailer showing Grant’s Oompa Loompa left Twitter fans divided.
One user said: “Hugh Grant as a tiny orange gnome is the last thing I expected to see today.”
Another one added: “Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa is nightmare fuel.”
Others seemed excited over his new role.
“Hugh Grant being cast as an Oompa Loompa is something we didn’t know we needed,” one user said, while another one added: “Hugh Grant as an oompa loompa is going to be iconic.”
Director Paul King, who also made hit movie Paddington, said of his decision to cast Grant: “It was a real light bulb moment – you go, ‘Hugh Grant’s an Oompa-Loompa! Yes please! Merry Christmas, with a bow on it.’”
Wonka is going to be released on December 15.
He suggested he couldn’t artistically emulate the 2005 movie casting for the Oompas so he went in another direction.
He said: “I couldn’t do what Tim Burton does at all – because he’s a genius – but I could never have taken that and remade it in the way he did,” says King. “And I’m not sure I would want to, because I liked [the original] so much.”
(Image: Wolper/Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
Mr King said he knew he wanted to retain the visual identity of the orange and green Oompa Loompa, just in Hugh Grant form.
“It just felt like that’s what an Oompa Loompa was, in my head. I suppose because the ‘71 movie is so beloved by me, as well as other people, I didn’t really want to reinvent the wheel on that,” he told Emprie magazine.
“I felt like doing something that sat with that iconography. I love ‘Pure Imagination’, I love the Oompa Loompa songs, I loved how the Oompa Loompas looked. And that felt like the iconic look of Oompa Loompas.”
He added: “He looks terrific but because it’s CGI, it looks terrible until it looks good. And then you go, ‘Ah, perfect!’ It’s a miracle.”
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
