Hugh Grant.Photo:Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection; Guy Levy/BAFTA via Getty
Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection; Guy Levy/BAFTA via Getty
Hugh Grantis still in Oompa Loompa mode!
When Grant, 63, appeared at the 2024BAFTA Awardson Sunday to present the ceremony’s award for best director, theWonkaactor shared a wry poem while channeling his Oompa Loompa character.
“Oompa Loompa doompety dee, now the best director category,” Grantsaid onstage, much to the amusement of the awards ceremony’s live audience. “Oompa Loompa doompety dong, most of these films were, frankly, too long,” he added. “Ooompa Loompa doompety da, but for some reason the nominees are…”
Grant then presented the award toOppenheimerfilmmakerChristopher Nolanduring a night that saw the movie win seven BAFTA awards out of 13 total nominations it received, most among all films at Sunday’s awards show.
Wonka.Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
TheLove Actuallystar was digitally shrunk to scale in order to play an Oompa Loompa oppositeTimothée ChalametinWonka, which follows the adventures of a young Willy Wonka as he begins to sell chocolate for a living. The film presents Grant’s character as an adversary of Wonka’s who steals his chocolate as revenge for Wonka using ingredients found in Oompa Loompa territory.
Wonkahas grossed $209.8 million at the domestic box office and more than $600 million worldwide since its release in December. Grant and Chalamet’s press tour featured plenty of fun at Grant’s expense, with Chalametmemorably singing the Oompa Loompa song— first featured in the 1971 musical film adaptationWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factorythat starredGene Wilder— with Grant at the movie’s premiere in Tokyo back in November.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“I was a bit nervous of him. I don’t like people who are too successful, and I thought his career had gone a bit too well,” Grant told PEOPLE of working with Chalamet, 28, in December. “But I did warm to him.He gave me good gossip.”
AfterWonka, Grant has roles lined up in the upcoming Netflix movieUnfrosted: The Pop-Tart Storyand HBO’s upcoming miniseriesThe Regime, per hisIMDbpage.
source: people.com
