“Tim Burton had considered me”: Not Only Marvel Star Patrick Stewart but Dwayne Johnson Almost Played Johnny Depp and Timothée Chalamet’s Iconic Role
Dwayne Johnson, well known by his ring moniker The Rock, is an actor, producer, and former professional wrestler who is currently one of the most well-known figures in the business. Filmmakers are eager to collaborate with him. Before deciding to pursue acting, the actor spent eight years working for the WWF (now known as WWE). He quickly rose to the position of one of the most-paid performers in the business because of his outstanding on-screen performances.
Since his debut in 2001, the actor has never looked back and has chosen roles that have had a positive impact on both his career as an actor and the box office receipts of the corresponding films. Timothée Chalamet will play the same character in his upcoming film as the one that Johnson was speculated to play and which had previously been portrayed by Johnny Depp. Let’s find out more.
Dwayne Johnson reveals Tim Burton considered him for Willy Wonka
Dwayne Johnson back in 2020 had shared a video of the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory on his social media and revealed that he was approached by filmmaker Tim Burton to play Willy Wonka in his 2005 reboot; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He wrote via People,
“This morning, I introduced our babies to one of my all-time fav films – Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. They loved it and now fully expect me to deliver a room full of chocolate and candy. That’ll be my next project.”
The actor continued, “Some cool history – back in the early 2000s, iconic director, Tim Burton considered me to play Willy Wonka in his remake, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I remember thinking ‘HOLY S—, I’M IN’ ‘ but that was many years ago when I was just starting in Hollywood with no foundation of global box office strength or any real acting experience to even pull it off.”
Johnson further noted that the role, of course, went to Johnny Depp who, at the time, was the biggest star in the world and the rest was history. The retired wrestler, however, mentioned that the fact that Tim Burton had considered him for the part of Willy Wonka, meant a lot to him as he was just starting in the industry.
“I’ll always raise a glass to dreams that don’t come true, because sometimes they’re the best thing that ever happened.”
Also read: Before Black Adam, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Almost Starred as Jason Momoa’s Rumored DC Character
Johnny Depp talks about the inspiration behind playing Tim Burton’s Willy Wonka
Actor Johnny Depp, who was eventually given the character of Willy Wonka to play in Tim Burton’s reboot, shared his inspiration behind the role when he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show via THR;
“The idea behind Willy Wonka, certain ingredients you add to these characters – Willy Wonka, for example, I imagined what George Bush would be like… incredibly stoned, and thus my Willy Wonka was born.”
The actor noted that he had also taken some inspiration from his own character in Edward Scissorhands, stating that the loveable character was intended to reflect the qualities of a newborn baby and a dog’s unconditional love. Depp noted in another interview via Express UK that they were so lucky to have Roald Dahl’s book, which became a great help in building the character.
Johnny Depp added, “In early conversations with Tim [Burton] we talked about various things, like children’s show hosts and that kind of strange cadence with which they speak to children. And the mask they put on, the sort of perpetual grimace of a smile.”
“With each character, as an actor, I think you owe it more to the audience, not to yourself or the filmmaker, to try something different each time. I think it’s important to try to keep playing different types of guys and to keep exploring because you are constantly learning.”
Dwayne Johnson on being recognized as The Rock
Dwayne Johnson has a successful career and people adored him back in 2019. The actor, during an interview with Digital Spy, shared his view on how he feels about being recognized as The Rock more than Dwayne Johnson. He said,
“When I came to the realization that I aspired to establish a legitimate Hollywood career and, hopefully, enjoy long-lasting success, I felt a desire to be recognized by my current name, Dwayne Johnson. I also understood that this transition would require patience and time.”
He added further that he did not feel that there was a rush and he knew that it was going to take time before adding, “I didn’t want the transition to be disruptive in any way and come out and say for example, make a statement and say from this day forward, I will be known as Dwayne Johnson only, you can’t refer to me as The Rock, I never wanted to do that.”
The professional wrestler noted that he was very proud of The Rock and what he was able to accomplish in the wild and crazy world of professional wrestling and it was a cool name, so he never had an issue.
Source: People, Digital Spy
