Timothée Chalamet SaysWonkaIs His Mom's 'Favorite' of His Films: 'You Gotta Be Happier in Your Movies!' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Timothée Chalamet in “Wonka” (2023).Photo:Jaap Buittendijk/Warner Brothers

Jaap Buittendijk/Warner Brothers

Timothée Chalamet’s mom finally got a more light-hearted project from her movie-star son.

Chalamet, 27, tells PEOPLE the family-friendly film, in which he sings and dances, is nowhis mother Nicole Flender’sfavorite movie he’s done yet.

“This is maybe her favorite thing I’ve ever been in,” he says, jokingabout his R-rated 2022 cannibalism film: “I think she sawBones and Alland said, ‘You gotta be happier in your movies!’ "

He says, “This was so fun to work on. This was unlike anything I’ve ever worked on, I think.”

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Timothee Chalamet on Nov. 28, 2023.Anthony Devlin/Getty

Anthony Devlin/Getty

“Actually, I did not know who he was. Not in a bad way; I really love him now. But his work, I never really got a chance to see because I was only 12,” says Lane, now 15. “It was all too old for me. But after I met him, we became great friends.”

Chalamet acknowledges that Willy Wonka is a change of pace for him, in terms of characters he takes on. He says the film feels “old-school” and “sincere.”

Timothee Chalamet and Hugh Grant in “Wonka”.Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc

“[Director] Paul Kingmeans his stories. LikePaddingtonandPaddington 2, these aren’t cynical Hollywood movies. They’re extremely heartfelt and sincere,” says Chalamet. “The main message of this movie is to never give up on your dreams. And that can feel like a tired, old Hollywood slogan, but it’s meant because it’s Paul King that means it. No matter how ridiculous it sounds.”

“How he just managed to channel the spirit of the character, paying homage to the great Gene Wilder but in no sense doing an impersonation or anything,” says King. “He just became Willy Wonka and it was a joy. What was so strange was seeing him out of costume at the end of the day because I just began to believe that he existed in this kind of plum-colored coat and brown top hat.”

Adds Chalamet, “I think Paul King realized a wonderfully clever and heartfelt and sincere story here about a young Willy Wonka who’s ambitious and full of ideas and dreams, not the broken man we’ve seen in other films.”

Wonkais in theaters Dec. 15.

source: people.com