My first question, what did you think when you read the script?
Calah Lane: I loved the script. When I first read my audition piece, I had no idea that it was for WONKA. I think I was at the screen test, and my mom read it and she was like, “Oh, there’s ‘chocolate’ in here.” And then it said something about ‘Willy’ and it was like, “Oh, this has to be Willy Wonka.” That’s how we figured it out.
Well, tell me about your character. Who is Noodle? What’s going on and why does she agree to help this wacky guy?
Calah Lane: So, in the story, she’s an orphan, and when Willy comes along, she just needs a friend basically. And when he asks her to help him, she’s just like, “Okay, well, maybe if I have a friend now, maybe I can finally do something and be happy.” And so that’s how she kind of gets in to all of it.
And you know what? I can’t think of any better job in the world than working with Timothée Chalamet. Can you tell me what it’s like to work with him?
Calah Lane: He’s really fun on set. We had jokes and played around a lot, not unprofessionally, but we had such a fun time on set. He would help me with different things and we would give each other high-fives all the time. And we did the Thriller dance once, and that was really cool.
He was a young actor, too. So, did he pass anything on to you? Did he help you go through some of this?
Calah Lane: Yeah, he did help me. And because I was supposed to cry in one of the scenes, he stood on the side just helping me, and lifted my spirits. I wasn’t really scared, but more nervous to cry for my first time, and he really helped with that.
That’s wonderful. And then Paul King has made some really wonderful movies—he’s such a creative, magic storyteller. He’s kind of like Wonka, actually. What is it like to work with him?
Calah Lane: He’s just such a great director. I love the fact that he likes to make heartfelt movies—I’ve seen his “Paddington” movies and I love them. And I really love the fact that he likes to make movies to make people smile…. Just something that can make somebody smile and have a good day. And I feel like he’s doing the same thing with this movie.
He is doing exactly the same thing with this movie. What is it like to work with Olivia Colman?
Calah Lane: She’s just so sweet. I can’t even explain. Between takes one day, we were actually sitting down on set and she was showing me pictures and videos of her kids. We were just talking and having so much fun. It was a little confusing, because then when they said, “Action,” her character was really mean (LAUGHS) But after, she was like, “Oh, are you okay, everything good?” And I was like, “Yeah.”
She plays nasty really well. But is so, so lovely.
Calah Lane: Oh yeah. Really good. I was like, “Ow.”
Well, not only do you sing and dance in this movie, but you also hover in the air. So, what kind of preparation did you have for the singing, the dancing and the wire work?
Calah Lane: I did a bunch of training for singing. I’m not really a singer, but I have a natural ability to sing. So that was really good to be able to already know a little bit of the fundamentals of singing. And then dancing, I didn’t really do a lot of dancing in the film, but I did fly—so I did wire training. I actually did a lot of wire training. I flew like 30 feet in the air. And I actually thought I was going to be super scared about doing that, but I actually wasn’t. It was actually easier than I thought it would be.
It looks super fun. Okay, so you’re going to share this movie with your family and friends around the holidays. And how would you describe it to them? What would you say to them? “Hey, come see this movie. It’s about…”
Calah Lane: It’s about Willy Wonka and his journey on becoming one of the best chocolatiers in the world.
That’s wonderful. And then of all the chocolates in this film, the Hover Choc, Silver Lining, Big Night Out, Broadway Chocolate and Mamma’s Chocolate, which one do you wish existed in the real world and why?
Calah Lane: Probably the Hover Choc, because who wouldn’t want a chocolate that makes you fly? That’s just top line. I think we all need that in our lives.
