With such Wonka-isms rolling off his tongue with ease, it’s no surprise that when Netflix, which acquired the rights to Roald Dahl’s literary estate five years ago, planned to make a Wonka-inspired game show Goffe was clearly top of their list to bring back. In “Wonka’s Golden Ticket,” which launched on Sept. 23, he stars alongside his son Ben Goffe — also an actor who has appeared in “Artemis Fowl,” among other titles — as well as a host of new Oompa-Loompas. (Unlike in the original film, these Oompa-Loompas “come in all shapes and sizes now,” as the contestants are told during the show.). Also back is Wilder, albeit only his voice, which has been, somewhat controversially, recreated in AI with the blessing of his wife, Wilder himself having died in 2016.
Over the course of nine episodes, viewers will see 12 contestants take part in a series of increasingly wacky challenges in the hopes of winning a “lifetime’s supply of money” (approximately $3 million, calculated as an annual six-figure salary over 30 years), all played out on Wonka-themed set pieces, including the famous elevator and, of course, the edible candy room, complete with chocolate waterfall. Ahead of “Wonka’s The Golden Ticket” launching, Goffe, now 77, spoke with Variety about how he came to work on the competition show, what it was like to step back into the world of Wonka — and his feelings at hearing Wilder’s voice recreated by AI. Well, I just had a phone call from my agent in New York saying they want you in Netflix, talking about “Wonka.” [I said] “Being in ‘Wonka?’ That was a long time ago.” And they said “Yeah, they still want you.” So that’s how I got into it, and I really loved the new one.
I was wondering how is this going to happen. But after a couple of days, I got used to it. The contestants were in their own bubble, so when they came on, you just nodded to them, because they were trying to get answers from your face, how they’re doing.
So we’re not giving anything away. I was really pleased — thrilled — this time to have my son with me, Ben. [He’s] 33 years of age, an Oompa-Loompa! Well, he’s grown up with “Wonka” through me, and he loved the first one, and when [Netflix] said about Ben being in it, he jumped at the chance.
He’s done Shakespeare, many, many movies. It was bizarre, going into the studio, into the chocolate room, in fact. They still had a waterfall.
It was absolutely fantastic, it was. And the river — last time, it was just dirty water, it smelled because we were pouring real cream and real sugar into it, and with the hot lights, it was melting. It was melting, and poor Michael Böllner, who played Augustus Gloop [in th 1971 film], he had to fall in it when he was a kid.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
