Actor and wrestler Dylan Postl slammed the upcoming “Wonka” movie for casting Hugh Grant as the Oompa Loompa rather than an actor with dwarfism.
Director Paul King used computer-generated imagery to get the visual effects of Grant’s Oompa Loompa just right — but Postl, 37, argues CGI doesn’t need to be used at all.
Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, he said, “So now we’re not only using CGI and spending extra money and funding for these movies when we could just cast dwarves in that role.”
“Now you’re taking at least one role away, or multipole roles away, for Oompa Loompa characters,” Postl continued. “That’s what they were in the past.”
He emphasized how those in the dwarf community aren’t granted as many opportunities as they should be.
“These roles — roles in Hollywood in general — are very hard for people of my community to get, besides the elf and the leprechaun,” Postl said. “So why are they being taken from my community?”
Yet for King, casting Grant, 62, was a no-brainer.
“Going back to the book, and reading all those poems, and hearing [the Oompa Loompas’] voice as a very sort of cynical, sarcastic, cruel, funny, but wicked voice, I went, ‘Oh… That’s sort of a bit like Hugh!’” King told Empire magazine. “It was a real light bulb moment – you go, ‘Hugh Grant’s an Oompa-Loompa! Yes, please! Merry Christmas, with a bow on it.’”
“He looks terrific,” King added, “but because it’s CG, it looks terrible until it looks good. And then you go, ‘Ah, perfect!’ It’s a miracle.”
Postl also expressed his disappointment in the lack of dwarves in the “Snow White” remake, a story that traditionally includes seven dwarves named Doc, Sleepy, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Bashful and Sneezy.
However, the live-action version of the classic Disney film won’t feature seven dwarves, but rather six non-dwarves and one dwarf.
“These are roles made for actors of my stature … I can’t go for the Harrison Ford or the George Clooney roles,” Postl shared with Post Columnist Piers Morgan. “I don’t feel that’s right that it got taken away from us.”