Tim Burton’s whimsical take on the classic Roald Dahl tale, 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was the perfect film for the young and old alike when it came out. With enough fantasy to capture younger audiences, and dark twists to spark adult curiosity, the film became emblematic of early 2000s cinema.
Almost two decades into the future, the cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has taken off in all directions (including downward). So, where are Willy Wonka, Charlie Bucket, and the rest of the kids now?
Johnny Depp (Willy Wonka)
The headliner of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has had more twists and turns in his life since 2005 than Tim Burton’s own Sweeney Todd. While we won’t get into the nitty-gritty of it all here, Depp’s career positively soared in the years following Chocolate Factory with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, making him the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. However, the last few years have been anything but golden for the Wonka actor.
Between the years of 2016 and 2022, Depp has been involved in legal disputes with his ex-wife Amber Heard, who accused him of verbal and physical abuse. The accusations, as well as allegations of misbehavior on film sets and substance abuse, resulted in his film career stagnating. The actor is currently enjoying a controversial revival, with his film Jeanne du Barry slated for the prestigious opening slot of the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Freddie Highmore (Charlie Bucket)
Little Charlie is all grown up now. Although he is still best known for his childhood roles in Depp’s Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Freddie Highmore has enjoyed a great career in film and TV all through his teens, twenties, and now thirties.
Despite continuing to make a number of movies across the decades, it’s on the small screen that Highmore has found the most success in recent years. From 2013 and 2017, the actor got to take on the iconic Hitchcock character of a young Norman Bates in the A&E show Bates Motel, alongside Vera Farmiga as his mother Norma. Following the success of that show, he landed the lead role in ABC’s The Good Doctor, which finished airing its sixth season in 2023, with season seven officially on the way.
Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs. Bucket)
Helena Bonham Carter was one of Tim Burton’s muses when the two were married, but she was already quite the star when Charlie and Chocolate Factory came around. Naturally, she has remained one of the biggest names in the film industry ever since. Her biggest success in the years following the 2005 film was maybe 2010’s The King’s Speech, where Bonham Carter played Queen Elizabeth to Colin Firth’s King George VI. She received her second Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category. Her performance as Bellatrix Lestrange in the last four Harry Potter films also increased her already immense star status.
Recently, viewers might have encountered the English actress in Netflix’s hit Enola Holmes and its sequel, as well as one of the highest-rated series from the same platform, The Crown. Bonham Carter plays the adult version of Princess Margaret across seasons three and four.
Deep Roy (Oompa Loompa)
The Oompa Loompas, all 165 of them, might be Deep Roy’s most famous role, but the actor has also famously played Keenser in all three films of the Star Trek reboot trilogy. Roy has done extensive work as a stuntman over the years, as well, but hasn’t starred in any major productions for a while.
The rest of the kids
We hope Charlie’s fellow golden ticket finders, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, and Mike Teavee are doing way better in real life than they were in the movie.
Philip Wiegratz, the young German actor who played Goop, has been acting mostly in Germany. He hasn’t participated in any commercial projects since 2013. On his public Instagram, he posts photos of his travels and his friends. Julia Winter aka Veruca Salt has also chosen a different career path and, according to IMDb, is now a doctor in Sweden (We Got This Covered didn’t find any further verification of this being the case).
AnnaSophia Robb (the sassy Violet) and Jordan Fry (the angry Mike Teavee), however, have continued to act throughout their adult lives. Robb’s most famous film is arguably 2007’s Bridge to Terabithia alongside Josh Hutcherson, but if we’re talking recent roles, then her stint as a young Carrie Bradshaw in The Carrie Diaries from 2013 to 2014 should take the cake. She also featured in the acclaimed shows The Act and Little Fires Everywhere.
As for Fry, his acting career has been relatively sparse for a few years, mostly participating in independent and short films like 2023’s Big Life, and the upcoming Where the Dog Is Buried.
The grandparents
Sadly, all four of the actors who played Charlie’s grandparents in the 2005 film have passed away. Released in 2008, Flick was David Morris AKA Grandpa George’s last film, produced before he passed away in 2007. David Kelly, who played the loving Grandpa Joe, left us in 2012, taking on a few small roles before that.
Grandma Josephine aka Eileen Essel died in 2015 but still enjoyed a few successful years on British TV until 2011 in shows like the police drama The Bill and the soap opera Doctors. Liz Smith, the sweet Grandma Georgina, passed away in 2016. She appeared in Flick alongside David Morris, and did two episodes of The Tunnel in 2013.
The parents
As for the rest of the parents of the chosen five, all have continued to enjoy fruitful careers. Mr. Bucket, Charlie’s dad, AKA Noah Taylor, had his hands full playing Locke in Game of Thrones and Hitler in the 2016 fantasy series Preacher for the past decade. Meanwhile, Missi Pyle, who played the iconic Mrs. Beauregarde, has continued to show up on our screens in movies like Ma and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
After 2005, Veruca Salt’s dad, James Fox, continued to act mostly in British productions, most recently Downton Abbey. He was also in the Danish war drama miniseries 1864. Viewers will most definitely recognize Adam Godley (Mr. Teavee) as the archbishop in Hulu’s The Great, or as the voice of Pogo in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. As for Augustus’ mom, Mrs. Gloop, Franziska Troegner works mostly in Germany.
