Was Hugh Grant Crusty With Timothee Chalamet On The Set Of Wonka?

Highlights

• Hugh Grant initially had reservations about working with Timothee Chalamet.
• Grant and Chalamet developed a good working relationship on the set of Wonka.
• Grant and Chalamet playfully mocked each other during promotional interviews.

Hugh Grant is a Hollywood legend and Timothee Chalamet is Hollywood's latest superstar. They have very different specialties, with the former specializing in romantic comedies and the former making his name in acclaimed dramas, but critics seem to agree that the pairing made Wonka a crowdpleaser of a musical.

If audiences have learned anything over the years, however, it's that chemistry onscreen does not always translate to chemistry offscreen. There have been countless instances in which two actors actually hate working together, and there's been some chatter that Grant and Chalamet fall into this category. The truth, however, is much less salacious.

Hugh Grant Was Hesitant About Working With Timothee Chalamet On Wonka

Hugh Grant is almost as famous for his cutting remarks as he is for his film roles. He's been devastatingly droll during talk show appearances, though it's often hard to tell whether he's being sarcastic or deeply sincere. One such instance was when Grant was asked about working with Chalamet for the first time. He told People Magazine:

"I was a bit nervous of him. I don't like people who are too successful, and I thought his career had gone a bit too well."

Grant softened the comment by admitting that he got along very well with Chalamet during the production of Wonka. "I did warm to him," he asserted. He was much less complimentive when it came to the CGI that had to be used in order to make his character significantly smaller than Chalamet. In order to appear 4 feet tall, Grant had to:

• Perform in a tent slightly off-screen.
• Wear motion capture dots on his body.
• Alternate between acting with his face and his entire body.

"It was like a crown of thorns, very uncomfortable," Grant added. "I made a big fuss about it. I couldn’t have hated the whole thing more." In fact, the only instance in which the actor felt an artistic spark was when he was able to read lines with Chalamet.

Paul King, the director of Wonka, told the outlet that he wanted as much chemistry as possible between Grant and Chalamet, and was delighted to discover that they would try multiple takes of each scene:

"They like to try lots of different takes and try different things in those takes, and I was entirely 100% supportive of their desire to get some chemistry going... They have a kind of banter through the movie."

Chalamet described his working relationship with Grant as a "joy."

Hugh Grant Pretended To Dislike Timothee Chalamet During A Sketch On The Tonight Show

Hugh Grant and Timothee Chalamet got on so well, in fact, that when it came time to promote the film, they decided to mock each other. The former went on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon to discuss Wonka, and at one point during the interview, he fielded a question from an audience member.

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The audience member turned out to be Chalamet, wearing a fake mustache and a hat that read "Love Actually", which is one of Grant's signature rom-coms. Chalamet then asks, in an exaggerated Southern accent, what Grant really thinks of his co-star. Without missing a beat, Grant humorously lays into him:

"I’m assuming this is not part of the show that’s going to be broadcast, so I’ll tell you the truth. To be honest, I didn’t like him. None of us did. There’s something just weird about that whole French [thing]. 'Timothee Chalamet, Je suis Francais. Do you like me-eh?'"

The crowd burst out laughing, as did host Jimmy Fallon. The irony of the bit is that Grant had previously told talk show host Stephen Colbert that Provence, France, is his favorite place in the world and the location of one of his properties. He also speaks fluent French.

Grant and Chalamet continued to take playful digs at each other during an interview with Access Online. The latter joked that Grant played the same character in several of his early films, and Grant fired back by saying that Chalamet reminded him of his mother.

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Hugh Grant and Timothee Chalamet have had incredibly successful careers, but are three decades apart in age. Their career resumes show just how different their approach to fame has been:

The differences between these two actors became even more humorous when it was revealed what ultimately brought them together: gossip. Grant told People Magazine that Chalamet had some riveting gossip to share, and the duo would bond over it between takes.

Chalamet picked up on Grant's dry sense of humor and ran with it when he was asked what he thought of the legendary actor. He jokingly told the outlet that he grew up watching Grant in films like Notting Hill (1999) and Love Actually (2003), but his expectations "crumbled" upon sharing a scene with him:

"Before I met Hugh, I thought he was wonderfully talented and handsome and very good-looking. Then after I met him, my impression crumbled [laughter]."

The only real point of contention that Grant and Chalamet seemingly had was whether Love Actually was a good film. Chalamet dubbed it "the best Christmas movie of all time" during the aforementioned Access Hollywood interview, but Grant was predictably dry when it came to his response.

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"I like Colin's bits, Colin Firth's story. I skip through the rest of it really," he quipped. "Which is weird, because I hate Colin and I want nothing but bad for his career. But I do think that's the best part of the film."

Regardless of how they feel about Love Actually, it's clear that Grant and Chalamet enjoy each other's company, and that the chemistry they had on display as the Oompa-Loompa and titular character in Wonka is legitimate. Here's hoping the two actors get to work together again in a film that doesn't rely so heavily on special effects, and allows them to occupy the screen at the same time.

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