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Daniel Plimpton as Willy Wonka
Philstar.com / Kristofer Purnell
MANILA, Philippines — British author Roald Dahl created one of literature's most innovative characters in Willy Wonka, the owner of the titular structure in his book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
The likes of Gene Wilder, Johnny Depp and Timothee Chalamet embodied Wonka on the big screen, and now the chocolatier has found new life in theater in a stage musical adaptation of Dahl's book.
The global tour of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" will head to the Philippines later this year with Daniel Plimpton playing Wonka opposite Cohen Toukatly as Charlie Bucket.
Both actors were in Manila last January 8 to meet with members of the media, including Philstar.com, and Plimpton discussed his approach to portraying Wonka.
Plimpton said he feels lucky to play the "incredible yet complex" Wonka, especially as the character wasn't on his radar to play until auditions came along.
He pointed out that there are key things about Wonka that hold true since his 1964 debut in literature and half a century in pop culture.
"He has this incredible ability to create, and on the other side of that is loneliness and his distrust of people, and his deep desire to find someone to pass his legacy on to," Plimpton said, adding that he connected deeply with the latter as someone wanting to have kids someday.
The actor admitted to just trusting his own sensibilities, quirkiness, kindness, and wackiness to throw everything he has into someone like Wonka.
Plimpton did say it was a real thrill to portray Wonka in live theater because each evening's perfomances can't be recreated, "The key is when I believe it in the moment, that's when the audience believes it. So just throwing myself out there is a blast."
The Willy Wonka actor commended the amazing arc that "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" gives his character but allowed some praise for fellow cast members especially Toukatly.
"Cohen is my little buddy. I'm learning from him, he's learning from me. We call him my 'mini-me' or my brother, sometimes he's my older brother and teaching me how to dress nicely," quipped Plimpton about the younger generation's fashion sense.
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" will run at the Theatre at Solaire this July 2026.
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