Jackass star Wee Man has criticised Hugh Grant‘s casting as an Oompa-Loompa in Wonka.
Directed by Paul King (Paddington), the upcoming film is based on the universe created in Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. Timothée Chalamet plays the lead role of Willy Wonka, in what’s billed as a prequel to the 1971 film adaptation.
Grant’s casting was revealed during CinemaCon 2023 at the Warner Bros. presentation, with footage showing the actor’s face on a CGI Oompa-Loompa. The same footage also features in the film’s first official trailer.
Since the reveal, many have spoken out against Grant’s casting, claiming the role should have been given to an actor with dwarfism.
Jackass performer Jason Acuña, best known by his stage name Wee Man, was one of those to voice his criticism.
“So I guess Hugh Grant, you’re now identifying as a little person,” the stuntman said in a TikTok video. “Huh, interesting.”
The Jackass star’s comments come after actor and comedian George Coppen, who also has dwarfism, spoke against the casting in an interview with the BBC last month.
Coppen, who is best known for playing Sweet Cupid in Netflix’s The School For Good And Evil, said: “A lot of actors [with dwarfism] feel like we are being pushed out of the industry we love.
“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.”
Speaking about the depiction of Grant’s Oompa-Loompa, Coppen added: “They’ve enlarged his head so his head looks bigger. [I thought] what the hell have you done to him?”
In both 1971’s Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder, and 2005’s Charlie And The Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp, the Oompa Loompa’s were all played by actors with dwarfism.
NME has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment.
Wonka – which follows a younger version of the titular character – also stars Keegan Michael-Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins and Rowan Atkinson.
The film is scheduled to be released in cinemas on December 15, 2023.
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