Wonka: Timothée Chalamet swam in a vat of real hot chocolate

The director of Wonka revealed that most of the chocolate used on set was real, including the vat of hot chocolate Timothée Chalamet swam in.

One of the most beloved children’s movies is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory — also known as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory — which tells the story of Charlie, a young poor boy in Britain as he and a group of children win a trip to a candy factory run by the mysterious Willy Wonka.

The original story was written by Roald Dahl in 1964 and has seen two adaptations since then: once in 1971 and another in 2005. And now a third film — titled Wonka — is set to premiere in December 2023.

Starring Timothée Chalamet, the movie is supposed to explore the backstory of Willy Wonka and reveal how he became a world famous chocolate maker. And the director of the film has now revealed that most of the chocolate used on set was real, including a huge vat of hot chocolate.

Timothée Chalamet swam through hot chocolate pool for Wonka

Wonka’s director and co-writer Paul King sat down with People to discuss some behind-the-scenes secrets about the film, including how the chocolate on set was real.

They used the chocolate when it came to Wonka’s creations and, in one spectacular sequence, a real pool of hot chocolate that Chalamet and Calah Lane, who plays Wonka’s friend Noodle, swam through.

“We actually made an enormous vat of hot chocolate – not scalding, just warm hot chocolate for them to immerse themselves in,” King said. “So there was a lot of chocolate around.”

King also explained that all of the film’s chocolate was made by an “incredible chocolatier” who made the treats “taste much better than they needed to,” which made it easy for the actors to appear like they enjoyed them because “they tasted every bit as good as they looked.”

Because of all the chocolate on set, King thought he gained “about 50 pounds” while they filmed, while Chalamet remained “slim and handsome” as the candies didn’t effect him – despite being the one to eat the most as Wonka himself.

Wonka will release in theaters on December 15, 2023. Find out more about the movie here.