Dwarf Actor Criticizes 'Wonka' for Casting Hugh Grant as Oompa-Loompa
A British actor born with dwarfism is unhappy that Hollywood has chosen actor Hugh Grant to portray an Oompa-Loompa in the upcoming live-action remake of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka story.
The new film, entitled simply “Wonka,” will chronicle the early life of fictional chocolatier Willy Wonka as he crafts his famed candy brand and begins construction of his strange and wondrous chocolate factory. Therefore, the film will feature Wonka’s first meeting with the Oompa-Loompas, who are destined to become Wonka’s magical factory workers.
The new Oompa-Loompa characters are fashioned after those from the beloved 1971 film, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. In that film, the Oompa-Loompas are tiny people who have curly green bouffant hairstyles and orange skin. That same design is seen in the trailer for the new production that will hit theaters in December.
Of course, the original Oompa-Loompas in 1971 — and those in the 2005 remake — were performed by actors with dwarfism.
But the new film presents its Oompa-Loompas using Hollywood special effects, with the lead Oompa-Loompa being portrayed by actor Hugh Grant. In the film, Grant is shrunk down to Oompa-Loompa size with computer effects.
The computer effects have elicited a sour response from George Coppen, an actor who was born with dwarfism.
Coppen blasted the new film and accused Hollywood of taking roles away from little people.
“A lot of actors [with dwarfism] feel like we are being pushed out of the industry we love,” Coppen told the BBC.
“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,” he continued.
The 26-year-old actor went on to say that such roles are closed off to actors with dwarfism, but now it seems that even the roles they used to be offered are also drying up as Hollywood works to avoid being called insensitive to little people.
“One door is being closed but they have forgotten to open the next one,” he said.
Coppen has taken up acting as an homage to his father, Willie Coppen, who was featured in films including the “Star Wars” franchise, as well as having roles in “The NeverEnding Story” and the original “Willow” film. And George and Willie both appeared together in the recent “Willow” streaming series.
George Coppen was also featured as Sweet Cupid in last year’s “The School for Good and Evil.”
However, he is very unhappy with how the new “Wonka” film is doing its Oompa-Loompas and was not impressed with Hugh Grant’s portrayal.
“They’ve enlarged his head so his head looks bigger. [I thought,] What the hell have you done to him?” Coppen insisted.
Grant’s version of the Oompa-Loompas appears at the end of the official trailer for the film.
“Wonka” is the second film this year to catch criticism for its lack of little people.
In January, actor Peter Dinklage issued some preemptive criticism of a planned remake of Disney’s “Snow White,” calling the project a “f***ing backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together.” As a result, Disney made a major change to the story and recast all the dwarf roles but one with full-sized actors.
But not all actors with dwarfism agreed with Dinklage. Little person actor Dylan Postl, for instance, is furious that Disney has “taken away” roles from actors like himself.
Postl slammed Disney and told talk show host Piers Morgan that the exclusion of dwarfs from the film is an example of roles being “taken away because of ‘progression’,” and added, “It’s not right!”
“These are roles made for actors of my stature… I can’t go for the Harrison Ford or the George Clooney roles.”
Dylan Postl thinks the casting of the live action Snow White And The Seven Dwarves is the opposite of progressive.@DylanPostl | @piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/yvsgnw2fPl
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) July 17, 2023
Thus far, neither Hugh Grant nor Warner Bros have commented on the accusations lodged against “Wonka.”
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