Wonka’s Hugh Grant reveals he HATED his controversial Oompa Loompa role but took the role because ‘I have lots of children and need money’

Hugh Grant has revealed the real reason he took on his controversial role as an Oompa Loompa in Wonka despite ‘hating’ the role. 

The actor, 63, has come under fire for his part in the movie, with his casting criticised by an actor with dwarfism, who argued the part should have been offered to an actor with the condition as there is a lack of appropriate roles for dwarfs.

Now Hugh – who has an estimated net worth of $150 million – has revealed that he didn’t even want the part, but took it because of the financial restraints caused by his parental duty.

The Golden Globe winner, who has five children aged between 13 and five, confessed to Metro: ‘I slightly hate [making films] but I have lots of children and need money.’

He went on to lament the filming process for Wonka – in which he was transformed into a pintsized, piccolo playing, orange Oompa Loompa through CGI.

Hugh Grant has revealed the real reason he took on his controversial role as an Oompa Loompa in Wonka despite ‘hating’ the role

Of the many cameras and filming equipment required to create the effect, he moaned:  ‘It was like a crown of thorns, very uncomfortable. 

‘I made a big fuss about it. I couldn’t have hated the whole thing more… and frankly, what I did with my body was terrible, and it’s all been replaced with an animator.’

Hugh and wife Anna Eberstein’s first child, John, was born in September 2012. They welcomed their second child in December 2015 and a third in March 2018.

The couple have not disclosed the gender or names of their youngest children.

As well as his three children with Anna, Hugh also shares two children with ex Tinglan Hong: daughter, Tabitha, 13, and son Felix, 11.

Hugh’s role in Wonka hasn’t been without controversy. 

The Oompa Loompas were played by actors with dwarfism in two previous films based on Roald Dahl’s iconic children’s book. 

George Coppen – a 3ft 10in actor whose father played an Ewok in Star Wars – told The BBC: ‘A lot of actors [with dwarfism] feel like we are being pushed out of the industry we love,’ he said.

Hugh has come under fire for his part in the movie, with his casting criticised by an actor with dwarfism , who argued the part should have been offered to an actor with the condition

‘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.’

In Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, the Oompa Loompas are the small workers in the factory that Wonka imported from Loompaland. 

Hugh’s children  

1987-2000 – Hugh enjoyed an extremely high-profile romance with Elizabeth before splitting following his infidelities. While they never had children, he is Godfather to her son Damian, 15

September 2011 – Hugh became a father for the first time, to a daughter Tabitha with receptionist Tinglan Hong, after ‘a fleeting affair’ 

September 2012 –  The actor later became a father for a second time to John Mungo, his first baby with Anna

December 2012- After a brief reunion, Hugh and Tinglan had another child, as she gave birth to a boy called Felix although this only became publicly known when a birth certificate leaked when he was 16-months-old 

December 2015 – Anna and Hugh became parents once more to a second child, although they have never announced the child’s name 

The new Wonka film tells the story of the chocolatier – played by Timothée Chalamet – before he opens his chocolate factory and has been met with rave reviews. 

Speaking at the film’s premiere last week, Hugh confessed that he was expecting to cry watching the movie because he is extremely emotional nowadays. 

He said: ‘I cry at all films now without exception, so I’ll be crying tonight, I’m almost crying already.’

Hugh also admitted that it was the first movie premiere he had attended without watching the film beforehand.

He added: ‘I haven’t seen it. I’ve never been to a premiere of a film I’ve been in where I’ve never actually seen it before. I think it’s a first.

‘I live here so it’s not that exciting to be in London but I love this film, I love the people who made this film. I made Paddington 2 with them.

‘There’s no one I hate, which is very rare, cast, crew, producers, maybe a couple of executives I don’t like much. But otherwise they are a lovely bunch.’

Hugh looked in good spirits on the night as he joined his wife Anna Elisabet Eberstein, 40, on the red carpet.

The couple wed in 2018 at the Chelsea register office near their £10million west London home after dating for six years on and off. 

Hugh was once famous for his reluctance to marry. He split up in 2000 with his actress girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley after 13 years together.

He told People magazine in 2015: ‘I’m not really a believer in marriage. I’ve seen very few good examples, maybe five, in my life, but I think otherwise it’s a recipe for mutual misery.’

Speaking about his wedding to Anna, Hugh confessed on Chris Evans’ Virgin Radio show : ‘It was a very small affair, that’s all.

‘It was very nice getting married. It was another thing I put off too many decades. Very nice. Very nice being married. 

Hugh said he took the part because ‘I have lots of children and need money’. He has three children with wife Anna Eberstein (pictured) and two with an ex-partner 

Asked by Chris why he put it off so long, the actor said he was simply ‘wrong,’ as he also was about not wanting children. 

Well, I was just plain wrong. I was wrong. And children, you know, I used to roll my eyes. People would say, oh Hugh you don’t understand it, but they were right,’ he explained.

Chris retorted, playing on the actor’s love for golf: ‘And that’s that’s why you played golf for so long.’

‘Yes, of course. Sad, anger, old golfer,’ Hugh responded.

Wonka will hit cinemas on December 8  

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