Paul King on Wonka: “He’s a great optimist.”

Wonka has been the word on everyone’s mind this festive season and eagerly anticipating the origin story of the beloved chocolatier from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Directed by Paddington director Paul King, the film follows the story of Wonka became the enigmatic chocolate maker and dreamer we all love today.

In a press conference, which was attended by the cast and crew of Wonka, the team looked back at their time whilst making the film and what Wonka means to them.

Director Paul King says ““I think he’s a great optimist. Our story is set 25 years before the events of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. So, he’s a young man taking his first steps into the world. And he hopes for great things. And because this is a Roald Dahl Universe movie, I suppose the world is not the kind of gracious, warm, welcoming place that we might hope it is. But he, Willy Wonka, sort of won’t take no for an answer and sets out to change things just as they should be.”

Timothée Chalamet who plays the titular character says that his character believes “every good thing in this world starts started with a dream. I love the optimistic, positive attitude the young Willy has, or that he won’t take no for an answer and refuses to give up on his dreams.”

Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this feel-good big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.