Timothée Chalamet (L); Gene Wilder inWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory(1971).Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images; Courtesy Everett Collection
The original cast of 1971’sWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factoryhave one thing to say about subsequentWonkafilms: The more the merrier.
PEOPLE caught up with Peter Ostrum (Charlie Bucket),Julie Dawn Cole(Veruca Salt),Paris Themmen(Mike Teevee) and Michael Bollner (Augustus Gloop) amid the iconic fantasy film’s 50th anniversary this week, where they shared their views aboutCharlie and the Chocolate Factory, as well as the upcomingTimothée Chalamet-ledWonkaprequel.
To that end, the actor-turned-veterinarian tells PEOPLE, “It broughtthe original film back to the forefrontagain.”
“It introduced a whole new generation — a whole new audience to the original film,” he adds.
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Gene Wilder inWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory(1971).Warner Brothers
Johnny Depp inCharlie and the Chocolate Factory(2005).Warner Brothers/Courtesy Everett Collection
Gene Wilderled the 1971 musical version,Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, while Depp, 58, took over as the eccentric chocolatier in the reimagined version over three decades later. Both films are based onRoald Dahl’s 1964 children’s bookCharlie and the Chocolate Factory.
While no plot details are available yet, reps for Chalamet confirmed to bothVarietyand Deadline that he’ll besinging and dancing in the film, just as the late Wilder did in the original movie.
“As Julie likes to say, ‘There’s room for all of us. We can all play well together in the sandbox,’ " Ostrum tells PEOPLE of Cole, 63. “And the prequel will shed more light on early Wonka.”
“But again, there’s been so many different versions ofWilly Wonka, be it on Broadway, opera, a pinball machine … you can’t kill the Willy Wonka story,” he adds. “So all of it is good. It’s a great story. And people enjoy whatever different version they’re watching; it’s fun to watch. So I think we’re all looking forward to the prequel.”
Clockwise from top left: Julie Dawn Cole, Paris Themmen, Peter Ostrum and Michael Bollner.Courtesy of Warner Brothers
RELATED VIDEO: Remembering Gene Wilder’s Best Movie Moments
As for Wilder, Themmen, 61, tells PEOPLE that he cast has “nothing but nice things” to say about the late actor,who died at age 83in 2016 of complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
“We were all very fond of Gene,” Themmen says. “He was obviously a very talented guy, but also a very nice guy.”
He also remembers meeting Wilder again decades later at a screening of one of his movies, where he reminded the veteran actor they’d starred together inWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factorywhen Themmen was 11 years old.
“And he said, ‘Oh, you were a brat.’ [I responded], ‘Yes,I’m 50-something now, so maybe notas much of a brat,’ " Themmen recalls. “And he said, ‘Oh yes, certainly.’ And he signed [the poster], ‘To my favorite brat.’ "
He jokes, “That’s the advice that I got: Is to be his favorite brat, I guess.”
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factoryis available now on 4K Ultra HD onamazon.com.
source: people.com
