Timothée Chalamet stars in the movie musical Wonka, a prequel that tells the origin story of the iconic chocolatier from Roald Dahl’s 1964 book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Unlike the Gene Wilder movie and Tim Burton’s 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake starring Johnny Depp, Wonka writer-director Paul King says his Wonka is cheerful and full of optimism. King has crafted a world for Wonka that is fantastical, but the movie also boasts real, edible, and delectable chocolates. Gabriella Cugno, a real-life chocolatier from the set decorating and props team, created over 2,000 chocolates to be consumed onscreen by the actors in the course of the movie. All of her chocolates were completely hand-tempered and handmade with all-natural ingredients. She even observed dietary requirements and made vegan versions as well. Cugno also assembled edible flowers, mushrooms, tree bark, and teacups.
“Every piece of chocolate that I ate was real, and all the chocolates were bespoke,” said Keegan-Michael Key, who dons a fat suit to play a chief of police who accepts payment in sweets. “So when you watch the movie, any piece of chocolate you see, it’s not wax. It’s not like they cut to a prop that looks like a piece of chocolate; the chocolatier made all of it. Sometimes, it was so delicious that I asked for an extra take.”