Wonka: Wee Man rips into Hugh Grant for playing Oompa Loompa

Jackass star Wee Man has slammed Hugh Grant for playing an Oompa Loompa in Wonka, coming amid criticism of the Timothée Chalamet prequel.

In Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Oompa Loompas are described as Black African pygmies “imported direct from Loompaland, a “terrible country” full of “hornswogglers and snozzwangers and those terrible wicked whangdoodles.”

This invited comparisons to slavery, so Mel Stuart and Gene Wilder’s 1971 adaptation cast short-statured actors and caked them in orange paint and gave them green hair. In Tim Burton’s 2005 version, they were played by one man cloned into hundreds of them: Deep Roy, an actor and stuntman who’s 4’4″ tall.

The upcoming prequel, starring Chalamet as the titular top-hatted chocolatier, has taken a different approach: casting Grant as an Oompa Loompa and using CGI to shrink him down.

Wee Man slams Hugh Grant for playing Oompa Loompa in Wonka

In a TikTok shared by @moviemaniacs, Jason “Wee Man” Acuña reacted to Grant’s casting. “Hugh Grant is now playing an Oompa Loompa? So, I guess Hugh Grant… you’re now identifying as a little person. Huh, interesting,” he said.

It comes after George Coppen, an actor with dwarfism, criticized director Paul King and the producers of Wonka for tapping Grant for the role. “A lot of actors feel like we are being pushed out of the industry we love,” he told BBC News.

“A lot of people, myself included, argue that dwarfs should be offered everyday roles in dramas and soaps, but we aren’t getting offered those roles. One door is being closed but they have forgotten to open the next one.”

Wee Man criticizes Snow White for taking jobs away from dwarfs

Wee Man also took aim at the live-action Snow White remake, adding: “You’re replacing jobs that people could have [us] as little people. It’s for dwarfs. Why are you hiring ‘Snow White and the seven average people?’

The latter movie became the subject of controversy early in its development, with Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage believing it shouldn’t be made at all. “Literally no offense to anything, but I was sort of taken aback,” he told Marc Maron.

“They were very proud to cast a Latino actress as Snow White, but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me.

“You’re progressive in one way, but you’re still making that f*cking backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together. Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough.”

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney said: “To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community. We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”

So far, Warner Bros. has not responded to the criticism of Wonka.

Wonka is due for release on December 15, 2023. You can find out more here.