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Timothée Chalamet Swam in an “Enormous Vat of Hot Chocolate” While Filming Wonka

Timothée Chalamet didn’t have to do much pretending for a Wonka scene in which he swims in actual chocolate, co-writer/director Paul King has revealed.

In the scene, which was previewed in the first trailer, Chalamet’s Willy Wonka and his friend Noodle (Calah Lane) find themselves “in this huge vat of chocolate,” King told PEOPLE.

“We actually made an enormous vat of hot chocolate — not scalding, just warm hot chocolate for them to immerse themselves in,” King explained. “So there was there a lot of chocolate around.”

This vat was made possible by the movie’s “incredible” on-set chocolatier. “She made these incredible concoctions, and we would taste them,” the filmmaker remembered. “They tasted much better than they needed to, because obviously actors are good at pretending things, but the miracle was they tasted every bit as good as they looked.”

After joking about gaining “about 50 pounds” from taste-testing the chocolate, King noted it was “a miracle that Timmy remains so slim and handsome” and joked, “I’m trying to fatten him up, but it’s hard to do.”

Elsewhere in the interview, King described Chalamet’s performance as a “tour de force” which brings “heart to the role” while still being “funny and mischievous and quite mysterious.” This lines up with the actor’s previous comments about what drew him to playing Wonka and how he wanted to be “a Willy that’s full of joy and optimism.”

Wonka was co-written by King with Simon Farnaby and hits theaters on December 15th. It also features Hugh Grant playing an Oompa Loompa, Olivia Colman, Sally Hawkins, Keegan-Michael Key, Rowan Atkinson, Matt Lucas, and more.

Before Wonka arrives, Chalamet will reprise his role as Paul Atreides in Dune: Part Twowhich debuts in theaters on November 3rd. He’s also set to do his own singing in a Bob Dylan biopic.