“You know it’s going to happen, but it’s still a shock”.
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Ostrum, who left Hollywood and became a veterinarian, said the mad candymaker was never Wilder’s favorite role, but it was the one he was known best for.
Gene Wilder in a still from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971).
“It is with indescribable sadness and blues, but with spiritual gratitude for the life lived, that I announce the passing of husband, parent and universal artist Gene Wilder, at his home in Stamford, Connecticut”, Walker-Pearlman said in a statement.
Speaking of Wilder, who died Monday at the age of 83, the iconic actor had nothing at all nice to say about Burton’s film when asked about it during his final interview in 2013, telling host Robert Osborne: “I think it’s an insult.Johnny Depp, I think, is a good actor, but I don’t care for that director”. And although Wonka may have traumatized the spoiled children on screen, Wilder’s costars remember him as nothing but kind and thoughtful.
“He was a gentle man, but he was also a gentleman”, Ostrum said. Ostrum said Wilder didn’t tell any of the other actors about his plans for the pratfall, or his devilish delivery. “You never knew what to expect from Gene”.
Although Ostrum never acted again, he credits Wilder and Jack Albertson, who played Charlie’s grandfather, with making him comfortable on set.
In a unusual coincidence, the Australian baking competition reality TV show, Zumbo’s Just Dessert, will be airing an episode tonight featuring a floating Willy Wonka hat replica made entirely out of chocolate.
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“To have made one film and to be associated with Jack and Gene, I feel like I really found the golden ticket”, Ostrum added.
