“Wonka” director says Timothée Chalamet sings like Bing Crosby
Timothée Chalamet's voice is the stuff of pure imagination, according to Paul King.
The Call Me by Your Name and Dune star will sing and dance his way back to the big screen when Wonka hits theaters in December — and the film's director has extremely high praise for Chalamet's musical gifts.
"[He's] got a beautiful singing voice. The person it reminded me of was Bing Crosby," King told Total Film, referring to the smooth-voiced crooner known for classic songs like "White Christmas" and "My Blue Heaven."
"There's quite a range, because it does go from a couple of bigger, showstopper-y sort of things to moments of real, pure emotion, and [Chalamet] can do it all," King added. "I'm going to sound like a crazed fan."
Warner Bros Pictures; Screen Archives/Getty Timothée Chalamet and Bing Crosby
King also clarified that he doesn't view Wonka as a full-on musical, though song and dance will play a part in the movie. "The Oompa Loompas sing a lot in the book, and [author Roald] Dahl always uses poetry," he explained. "But I didn't want it to just become a musical where people are singing dialogue to each other for no discernible reason. I felt like it was more like a movie with songs than a musical."
Chalamet memorably showed off his vocal talents in Saturday Night Live's "Tiny Horse" sketch in 2021. He also previously displayed his musical abilities in Call Me by Your Name, for which he learned to play guitar and piano, according to Interview magazine. And hardcore fans of the actor should be very familiar with his dancing and rapping skills from the viral videos of his "Timmy Tim" performances from high school.
Wonka also stars Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman, Sally Hawkins, Keegan-Michael Key, and Calah Lane, and features original songs by composer Joby Talbot. Both prior Willy Wonka movies featured original music — 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory utilized music by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, while Tim Burton's 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory set Dahl's lyrics to new compositions by Danny Elfman.
Wonka is slated to open Dec. 15.
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