In the highly anticipated movie musical Wonka, Calah Lane will steal audiences’ hearts as Willy Wonka’s (Timothée Chalamet) young partner-in-crime Noodle. But while the role is 14-year-old Calah’s biggest to date, she’s been doing this for years — and she’s ready for her breakout moment.
A delectable prequel to Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a “companion piece” to Gene Wilder’s 1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, the film chronicles the origin of the beloved chocolatier Willy Wonka. Noodle, a clever orphan with a heart of gold, teams up with an upbeat, down-on-his-luck Wonka to revolutionize the chocolate industry, one magical creation at a time.
Only 12 years old at the time of filming, Calah’s first big movie role — she’s previously appeared in This Is Us and Family Reunion — entered an all-star cast featuring Hollywood legends such as dame Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant, Sally Hawkins, and Keegan-Michael Key. Teen Vogue spoke to the now teenage Calah about what it’s like to swim in chocolate, dance 30 feet up in the air, and teach some “Thriller” choreography to her costars.
Teen Vogue: Watching you eat Willy’s chocolates in Wonka was so much fun. What did they taste like?
Calah Lane: It tasted so good. Because we had a chocolatier on set, not only did it taste good, but it looked cool too. Because she had to make them for so long, it was only like six [chocolates]. So we knew we only had like six takes, or we're not going to be able to get the take.
TV: Wow. How much candy did you end up eating by the end of the film?
CL: Probably a lot. Probably like tons of chocolate. But that's not bad because I love chocolate. So I mean if you eat something you love all the time, that's always good.
TV: I learned that you and Timothée swam in actual chocolate for one scene. How did you feel filming that scene?
CL: That was super fun filming it. First time we did it, it was not real chocolate. Then the second time we did it, then it was actually real chocolate. And, I remember them saying, you know you can eat it, but just don't. And I was like, “Okay, well I'm not gonna eat it anyway, even if it's edible.”
TV: So you didn't get any taste of it?
CL: Oh, no, definitely not, and Timmy did. Because [there is] a little part where he tastes it, but I don't know if that made it into the film. I was like, “Does that taste good?” He said, “No, it tastes disgusting.”
TV: What was it like working with him?
CL: I just love how he works. I love how he does his acting. I love how he gets into character. I feel like it's really cool. How he likes to walk back and forth on set. He uses his cane a lot to kind of become Willy Wonka. I feel like he did such a great job putting his own flavor into it, but still having the qualities of the Gene Wilder version of Willy Wonka.
TV: Can you tell me a little bit about where you grew up and what led you to pursue acting?
CL: I grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. But I started acting when I was four. I played Molly in Annie. And then somebody came up to me and she was like, you should really get your daughter into acting. My mom's like, I might try that. And then I started doing it. By the time I was like eight, we moved to California. And we’ve been here for five years, almost six years.
TV: How did you feel when you got the call that you were cast in the role of Noodle?
CL: Excited, like, I had so many emotions into one brain, like my mind was going everywhere. I was just screaming at the top of my lungs to my mom in our room.
TV: Wonka features a cast of Hollywood legends. What was it like being on set with an all-star cast?
CL: I mean, it was really, really, really cool. Being with all the legends like, oh my gosh, like it was just so crazy. At first, it was a little overwhelming because I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know how to act while I'm on set or any of that. So I was nervous as anybody else would be, especially my age. I was only 12. So I walked onto the set and everybody was so nice to me, and they comforted me, and we became like a huge family. And I just kind of grew internally from being on set with such great actors that have done a lot more and watching them work.
TV: Do you have any favorite behind-the-scenes moments that you can share?
CL: Oh, yeah, we had a lot of fun. We did Thanksgiving, me and Natasha [who plays Piper Benz] and Timothée, we did Thanksgiving together. We did a lot of dancing on set too. We did the “Thriller” dance on set. I taught Timothée the “Thriller” dance. Even though I don't know it all the way, I taught him the first part. I'm a big Michael Jackson fan. So I, like, know all of his music videos and all that, so I did a good job I think. I don't even know if they still know it. I hope they have like a blooper reel because we were laughing like a lot, not unprofessionally. But like in between takes, we were laughing.
TV: Can you describe your character Noodle in three words?
CL: She's very observant, I would say. Very optimistic too. And she's very strong.
TV: What is your favorite aspect or quality of Noodle?
CL: I like how confident she is. All she wants is a mom. But she's been through so much that she knows that it can't get any worse than this. So she’s just so confident and she does not care what anybody says. Like if anybody says anything bad about her, she would not care. That’s how confident she is.
TV: In the film, Slugworth believes that Noodle is “the brains of the operation.” Would you agree with his statement?
CL: Yes. I think Noodle is definitely the brains of the operation. The director [Paul King] said it feels like Willy's the child and Noodle's the mom. She’s taking care of him and telling him what to do. I really see that a lot in the film. But yeah, I feel like she’s definitely the brains of the operation. She really helps Willy become the Chocolatier that he's always wanted to be.
TV: How would you describe Noodle's relationship with Willy Wonka?
CL: When she first meets him, she's kind of skeptical. She's like, “Who is this guy?” But she knows that he got stuffed down in the washhouse just like her. So she's like, “Okay, well, this guy, he’s here too just like me.” So he doesn't really matter to her at first. But then, once she really got to know him, she knew what he wanted. He had a dream. Just like she had it. She had a dream to get a mom. And so they go on together. And he offers her, like, tons of chocolate. She's like, “Okay, sure.” So they just kind of go into this wonderful journey.
TV: How would you describe how Noodle grows throughout the film?
CL: Oh, I think that she gets more hope during the film. Because before, she knew that she wasn't gonna get what she wanted. She knew she was never gonna get a family. She knew she was never gonna get this, never gonna get that. It was always a never for her. She always knew it was not going to happen. So when Willy comes along, she really opens up. And you can see how kind and how fragile she really is.
TV: Among all of the enchanting and magical scenes in Wonka, which one was your favorite to film?
CL: Oh, probably the scene where I have the balloons flying up in the air. I've never gotten on wires before, flying in the air like 60 feet high. So that was super cool — especially doing it with Timothée too.
TV: Can you expand on how you prepared for that part?
CL: We did a lot of wire training. Definitely not as much training as I did for singing and dancing. But I remember going up into the air and doing it for the first time and I was like, wow, this is cool. I remember just looking down and going by like, "Hi guys!" But I was kind of jealous of Timmy because he got to go up to like 60 feet high. And because I'm a child, I can't go up that high. And so I only went up to like 30 feet. And I was like, how come you get to go all the way up there?
TV: How did you prepare for the musical numbers?
CL: I did a lot of choreography. I rehearsed for probably like 11 or 12 weeks all together with all the singing and all that. I would get vocal lessons. Doing that was kind of cool, because I've never really done that on a professional level. I've sung before and all that. But once you do it on a movie, you have to be more technique and all of that. I remember one time I walked in on Timmy singing and dancing, because he has the same dances in the film. And I told him, “You know, you are a really good singer and dancer.” And he's like, "Aww, it's okay." I'm like, "Seriously, you are a really good singer and dancer." Because I know, because my mom, and my dad, and my grandma, grandpa, everybody knows, literally everybody in my family has something to do with music. They all love music. So I know when somebody's, like, really good at singing. So I went up to him and told him, “You know, you're really really good.”
TV: Could you share a little more about how your family's connected with music?
CL: Well my dad, he's a DJ and he also plays some music of his own. My mom, she used to play the clarinet when she was younger. And then my nanna, my grandma, she loves to dance. She loves, like, salsa dancing. And then my grandpa, he's just in love with music, like everything he plays and he just loves music so much. He's always playing music wherever he goes. He had a little man cave a long time ago, I remember walking in and he's always playing music. Then, on my mom's side. My mom's dad. He's a worship leader and he makes music too. And then my mom's mom. She does a lot of art. But she still loves music and all that. So it's just everywhere in my family.
TV: What have you done since returning to normal life after filming Wonka?
CL: I just went out with some of my friends and I just came back to some regular American food. That was really cool. Because I remember staying in England and like, they didn't have cheddar cheese. And that's when we had Thanksgiving and so my mom, she was on the laptop for hours trying to find cheddar cheese somewhere. And she found it and she got this, like, huge block of cheddar cheese and we made mac and cheese.
TV: What is your ultimate dream role?
CL: Probably I would love to do like an action film. But I also would love to be in one of those school films like Clueless or Mean Girls, and I would love to play a mean girl. I feel like that'd be cool
TV: Which mean girl would you want to play?
CL: Ooooh, I don't know. I'll probably create my own mean girl. I don't know what her name would be. But she'll be pretty mean. She'll be as mean as Mrs. Scrubbit [played by Olivia Colman].
TV: What are you most excited about for audiences to watch in Wonka?
CL: I hope you take away the message of following your dreams because that's literally everything that Willy does in the movie. He follows his dreams, he doesn't let anything stop him and he gets to the Gallery Gourmet area and he has absolutely no money and he's trying to create a shop. Literally no money. Just follow your dreams and have hope.
TV: What message would you give to little girls of color who are going to see you on the big screen and see themselves?
CL: I would just say love yourself, love your skin, love your hair. And I really hope you guys enjoy my film. And remember, you can do anything.
