Mumbai, Dec 4 (IANS): Hollywood star Hugh Grant has revealed how he was asked to star in the film ‘Wonka’ and play the iconic character of Oompa Loompa.

Grant said: “Paul and I were always in contact vaguely since ‘Paddington 2,’ and then I think he just emailed me one day and said he was doing ‘Wonka.’ He has been nuts about Roald Dahl since he was a kid, in exactly the same way that he was obsessed with Michael Bond and Paddington, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of his favorite books.

“And then he explained how much he loved the Oompa Loompas in those early films, particularly for being so unpleasant. And he said, ‘Whenever I think of someone really curmudgeonly and unpleasant, I immediately think of you.’ And so that was his pitch.”

Based on Roald Dahl’s iconic character from 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', a timeless children's classic, 'Wonka' is crafted by Paul King. Timothée Chalamet takes on the titular role, joined by a stellar cast including Calah Lane, Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant and Keegan Michael Key.

Delving into his approach to the character, Grant shared: "I ended up reading the book and watching the earlier films. And then I thought, ‘How do we make this different?’ But I definitely thought the key was to keep the sort of negativity and anger, the curmudgeonly old bastard element of the Oompa Loompa. This is my speciality.”

He added: “The Oompa Loompa in this film is propelled by those things, but also by a sort of sadness and a kind of loneliness. He’s been ostracised, chucked out of his homeland and his home tribe for letting them down. And he’s on a mission to try and win back their favors.”

'Wonka' is set to captivate audiences in India, releasing on December 8 by Warner Bros India.