Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Charlie in Gene Wilder’s 1971 film, still generates a small income after making a completely different career.
Child star Peter Ostrum still makes royalties from his role as Charlie in the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, 54 years after it was released in 1971. Although Ostrum was one of the classic movie’s lead characters, alongside Gene Wilder, he completely turned his back on acting, and instead chose a very different career.
Ostrum, 67, is a father of two and a retired veterinarian. He never made his role as Charlie his sole acting gig.
In an interview at a screening of the movie at his local Snowtown Film Festival in 2018, he was asked if he makes any money from his short-lived acting career. Due to residuals from screenings of the film on TV, he revealed he gets a cheque for roughly $8 to $9 every few months, despite the Johnny Depp remake making half a billion dollars. It comes after reports Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are set for new ‘goldmine’ offer – but could face issue .
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When he met his wife, Loretta M. Lepkowski, he revealed in the same interview that she had no idea that he was a small part of Hollywood history. She continued, “Once I saw it, I realized that he had a significant part.”
He mentioned how the movie was received, which he called “lukewarm” at the time. Gene Wilder, a major film star, plays the titular character, but he claimed that audiences simply “forgot about it” because the movie grossed about $4 million at the box office.
You can’t kill Wonka, Ostrum said during a Yahoo virtual reunion held in 2021. Whether it’s the original or the Johnny Depp remake, it just keeps playing.
“And that brought our movie’s attention back.” Parents told kids, “You need to see the original, kids saw the kids. “
“Anything that discusses Wonka is beneficial to the Wonka story.” Regardless of whether the author or the creator is telling the story, it needs to be told again.
Peter revealed how his life went straight back to normal after he finished filming the movie. Speaking to the Mirror in 2013, Peter said: “I get calls every time there’s a new version of the story or some fresh look at the film. You can’t kill Charlie and the Chocolate Factory… it keeps resurfacing in different formats.
It’s pretty neat that it’s still so popular because we had no idea how successful it would be then. My kids have read it, and I’m sure they enjoyed it.
He continued, “I have a great affection for the idea that good things happen to people if you are sincere, diligent, and do the right thing.” He eventually accepted a three-film offer, but he rejected it because he detested being away from home.
I enjoyed doing it, but I couldn’t really see myself doing it for the rest of my life, Peter said. How many children can transition from a successful acting career as a child to an acting career as an adult?
You can count on one hand Ron Howard and Jodie Foster. I believe I was acting like a bad singer in the movie when they said they wouldn’t use my voice, but they did.
“I liked the acting, but I wanted something more consistent. Finding something you enjoy doing is what I did, and that’s what I did.
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Source: Mirror
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