- Written by Danny Fullbrook
- BBC News, Hertfordshire
“Leavesden is a great place to work,” said Jim Carter, who played Mr Carson in Downton Abbey.
Actor Jim Carter described the sets used in the new Wonka film as “inspiring”.
The film was shot mostly at Warner Bros Leavesden in Watford.
Carter, who also starred in TV series Downton Abbey, said: “I've never seen an outdoor spectacle on this scale, it was amazing.”
The production team built “the entire town square” at the studio where the Harry Potter and Batman films were also filmed, the actor said.
“Not only was it enormous in size, but it was also amazing in the fact that the camera could enter any corner of these parades and shop aisles and focus on any detail,” he added.
Image source, Village promotional campaign photos/peak films
Jim Carter (left) stars as Abacus Crunch in Wonka, a new Warner Bros. film directed by Paul King.
The Wonka film, released on Friday, is directed by Paul King, best known for directing the first two Paddington films, and stars Timothée Chalamet in the lead role.
The musical serves as a prequel to Roald Dahl's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which shows how Wonka became the famous chocolatier.
Carter, who plays Abacus Crunch in the new film, said the scale of production at Leavesden feels like “old filmmaking.”
“There were all these American cars and taxis used in the Fast & Furious movies, which I didn't know were made in Leavesden, so it feels like proper filmmaking.”
The 75-year-old said acting on set encouraged him “to be at the top of his game to justify all the hard work he put in.”
Image source, Getty Images
Jim Carter attended the world premiere of Wonka in London with his wife, Imelda Staunton
Wonka began filming in the UK in September 2021, shooting in locations including Lyme Regis, Bath, Oxford and the Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley, south-east London.
Scenes recorded in the city featuring Chalamet were used in the film's first trailer and St Albans District Council was paid £41,000 for the use of Verulamium Park.
Image source, Village promotional campaign photos/peak films
Leavesden's built-up town square features heavily in the new film
A house located on Abbey Mill Lane, down the road from St Albans Cathedral, will appear in Wonka as Mr. Crunch's home.
Yorkshire-born actor Mr Carter added: “You see me leaving home full of optimism, going on different trips with Willy Wonka, and then coming back, so thank you St Albans.”
He previously filmed in the city for the 2018 film Swim With Me, co-starring Rob Brydon.
“We had the coldest day of our lives doing synchronized swimming at St Albans Lido, so I can't thank St Albans for that,” he joked.
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