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'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' Star on Being an Oompa-Loompa (VIDEO)
As Willy Wonka turns 40, one of the classic film’s stars stopped by The Daily Beast’s offices for a candy taste test—and sang an Oompa-Loompa tune, too. Watch the video.
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Oompa X-Factor
What do you get when you guzzle down treats? We found the man who can answer that question. Meet Rusty Goffe, 62, an accomplished stage and screen actor who played one of the Oompa-Loompas in the 1971 classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder. Goffe was in New York to promote the film's 40th-anniversary DVD, and he stopped by The Daily Beast to serenade us with the classic Oompa-Loompa song. Check out his pipes.
How Sweet It Was
Goffe was in his early 20s when he was cast as one of the 10 Oompa-Loompas in Wonka land. He had never read the Roald Dahl novel, but he was all too familiar with its subject matter: candy. On set in Germany, he nibbled on so much chocolate, he had a mouth full of cavities once the shoot was over. Here, he shares some of his tastiest memories.
Chocolate Challenge
But is an Oompa-Loompa’s knowledge about candy as everlasting as a gobstopper? We put Goffe to the test—a taste test. He put on a blindfold and tried to name three kinds of candy purchased from our neighborhood drugstore. For those of you playing at home, the answers are: Dots, Nerds, and a Scrumdiddlyumptious bar. See how well he scores.