The highly anticipated prequel to the British classic Charlie and The Chocolate Factory is almost here!
WONKA is here to feed our dying imaginations with music, joy and an incredibly stacked cast. Timothée Chalamet, Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman...the list is endless.
We sat down with one of the funniest in the game Keegan-Michael Key to discuss his role as the chocolate addicted chief of police and joining the prequel to the beloved classic
Over the past four years, you've been part of 11 films, and your work rate is incredible. Within these films, you've been part of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Lion King and now Wonka! Are you ever nervous about attaching yourself to giant franchises with already dedicated fans?
No, I don't have any apprehensions about that. I think that a lot of it is about picking a project that you want to work on, and I think in all of these cases that you've just mentioned it was based on the talent that you're going to work with. Then you might like a particular production designer or somebody who's doing the wardrobe or the cinematographer. So it's always about the work. It just happens to be that there are these big franchises attached to that.
What was it about Wonka that compelled you to join the project?|
Paul King. I've been such an admirer of his work and I really wanted to do something with him. Since our first meeting, even before our first meeting, I wanted to work with him from way back to The Mighty Boosh. He always has his hands on things that are really special. The Paddington movies are special. I thought "God, if I have an option to work with Paul King, then I'm gonna take it" I'm also a fan of Timothée Chalamet and to see Timothée in this, it's a big departure from the kind of work that he usually does. I wanted to be part of that too.
I like that you mentioned Paddington, as people were always going to compare the two films. Did you think it was something you had to live up to?
I think people will think, and I thought when I first heard about the project and was lucky enough to be asked to be part of it, that this is the perfect thing in Paul's oeuvre. It wouldn't be that there was a comparison to Paddington but it would be that this is perfect for him. It's got that heartfelt feeling, that uplifting feeling, and that's Paul's wheelhouse.
You're recognised as a comedian, and a fantastic one at that, how do you ensure that your particular comedic style always shines through with the varied array of characters you take on?
I think part of the quality or part of whatever that quality is that's different from me to other people is that I'm an actor first before I'm anything else, that's what my training is in. For me, at the base, it's always about playing the situation as seriously as I can and then adding comedic moments. The base is always about playing the situation as truthfully as I can as if I were in a drama. It's also seeking out good writing because then if you can just play the writing, you'll get the laughs as opposed to having to try to manufacture laughs because once you try to manufacture laps that's there in lies death.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a British classic as we all know, was there any consideration of doing a British accent?
I did think originally that maybe I would be doing a British accent. When I met with Paul, we talked about that for a little bit and I said, I am more than happy to do a British accent and he said, "No, I want him to sound like a cop, like a cop from like Boston or New York or something like that" So we ended up going in that direction.
Ahh because I understand you're a Liverpool FC fan, so I thought you might have tried to do a scouse accent.
Oh no, I can't do the scouser, I wish I could I have to work on it more, but yes I am a Liverpool fan.
Your character has a serious chocolate addiction in the film, is there a sweet treat you could relate to? What is a snack you just cannot turn down?
It's funny when I'm here in England I could eat an entire sleeve of Jaffa Cakes. I LOVE Jaffa Cakes. The good thing is I can't get them in the States.