Meet Deep Roy, the man who was 165 Oompa Loompas — including an entire glam rock band (2024)

Forget Hugh Grant — meet the icon Tim Burton calls "the hardest working man in show-biz".

Deep Roy gained a cult following after playing all 165 Oompa Loompas in Burton's 2005 adaption of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, acting alongside Johnny Depp.

TikTokkers fondly remember Roy for going hard on "mountaineering, pilates, various types of dance, hair cutting".

He even "played an entire glam rock band" and sung multiple harmonies — with himself — on the film's soundtrack.

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With audiences still sceptical of the upcoming Wonka film (questionably featuring Timothée Chalamet as its titular lead) it feels unlikely that Hugh Grant's Oompa Loompa will ever be able to match up.

Ahead of Wonka's release, we caught up with the superstar that is Deep Roy, craving the simpler times of 2005 nostalgia. These are his words.

Deep Roy's big break

I was born in Nairobi, Kenya.

I had a hard time with other kids, with bullying and all that. I studied hard and was top of my class because I wanted to show to others that physical appearance is immaterial — it's the brains that count.

I always wanted to be an actor, but my dad wanted me to be an accountant, and sent me off for further education in London when I was 16.

I did accounting for two years, but I kept failing taxation. Then I went to drama school, and I quit after three months. For me, it was boring.

I said to my dad: I want to be a comedian. He said: It's a joke!

I started with stand-up comedy and did all the clubs in London. My dad came to visit me and went: when am I going to see you on TV?

I met this guy in the audience, who came and gave me his card. Three months after my dad passed away, I got my first television appearance on a TV series, on The New Avengers.

My whole family was excited to see me on television, and my mum said [Dad] would've been so proud.

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The rest is history. I've been very fortunate to have worked on some of the biggest franchises, like Doctor Who, Star Wars and Star Trek … The X-Files and Planet of the Apes.

Rocking out as 165 Oompa Loompas

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of the hardest movies I've done, physically and mentally.

I was getting up at four in the morning, finishing up at eight at night.

They were [originally] going to have people dancing with me, in masks [of my face]. But being four foot four [132cm] they couldn't find people in proportion.

I said: I'll do it myself.

In the end I did 165 individual Oompa Loompas.

They were like a regiment, so [when filming each Loompa] I had to keep equal distance between each one.

I performed each song, singing and dancing. I learnt the skills – they sent me to mountain climbing. It was in a studio, but they wanted to make sure I could climb.

I helped with ideas for some of the dances too, especially on Mike Teavee.

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I said that I wanted to be a rockstar. The choreographer asked what instruments I can play. I said none.

He said: How can you be a rockstar? And I said: Because I rock.

So that's how I learnt to play the guitar, the drums.

I also asked if we can do a Bollywood song, and that's Augustus Gloop, which is an upbeat song with like a Bollywood dance and everything in there.

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I can still remember the dances. It's like learning how to walk; once you learn, it's still in your system.

Downsizing Hugh Grant

When I did Charlie, [people with dwarfism] were criticizing me. They said I stole their jobs.

My apologies to the other actors and actresses, but I didn't mean to take their jobs. It wasn't my decision – it was the director's choice. You can't make everybody happy.

Downsizing people is not cool, in my opinion … but that's the nature of the movie industry.

Meet Deep Roy, the man who was 165 Oompa Loompas — including an entire glam rock band (2)

I know they downsized Hugh Grant. But [in most shots], they didn't have to downsize me.

You want to see people as a real actor, rather than as an animation thing. Let's have real people doing the real jobs. Real actors. Whether you're small, big, good looking, bad looking, fat, ugly, you know, give everybody a chance.

But good luck to the team behind the new Wonka. From the bottom of my heart, I wish them good luck.

Quotes have been edited slightly for clarity and brevity.

Meet Deep Roy, the man who was 165 Oompa Loompas — including an entire glam rock band (2024)
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