Timothée Chalamet says he felt like he was “desecrating history” while recording songs for the upcoming movie musical “Wonka” at London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios.
The actor, 25, is playing Willy Wonka in the forthcoming film, which explores the origins of the famous Roald Dahl character and is set prior to the events of 2005’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
The movie prequel — currently being filmed in the UK — will feature several songs by Chalamet and his co-stars, including Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”), Matt Lucas (“Little Britain”) and Rowan Atkinson (“Bean”).
But while Chalamet is a Best Actor Oscar nominee and a graduate of New York’s prestigious LaGuardia High School, he still didn’t feel worthy enough to step inside Abbey Road Studios.
The studio is best known as the place where The Beatles recorded many of their most famous songs. Other big-name artists who have worked there include Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, Oasis, Radiohead, Sam Smith and Adele.
The “Wonka” cast spent a weekend recording songs in the famed space, prompting Chalamet to tell Time: “I felt out of my league like I was desecrating history!”
However, the “Call Me By Your Name” star additionally said that he can’t wait for “Wonka” to be released.
“It’s not mining the darker emotions in life. It’s a celebration of being off-center and of being OK with the weirder parts of you that don’t quite fit in,” he declared.
The film is not slated for release until 2023, but it has already garnered much buzz on the internet.
Last week, Chalamet divided fans as he shared the first photo of himself playing the confectionary king.
The snap showed Chalamet in costume, looking as if he were plucked straight from England’s Victorian era, clad in a maroon velvet jacket and a brown top hat.
Some Twitter users claimed the actor’s ensemble looked a little too hipster to be an accurate portrayal of Willy Wonka.
“Brave choice to make Willy Wonka’s origin story set in 2010 Williamsburg,” quipped Sally Field’s son, Sam Greisman, in a tweet that was liked more than 1,700 times.
“Timothee Chalamet Willy Wonka is what happens when a Hollywood focus group tries to create a Tumblr sexy man,” another remarked, referencing the famous 2010s blogging site.