Timothée Chalamet turns the internet into the thirst factory & everyone wants his Willy Wonka

Playing a singing, dancing chocolatier in the new film Wonka — the latest adaptation of the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl — was no cakewalk for Timothée Chalamet.

“This was the most physically challenging project I’ve ever done,” the Oscar-nominated actor told Vanity Fair ahead Wonka’s December 15 theatrical release.

“I can’t say the singing and dancing comes easy. I’ve been around musical theater my whole life, and danced a little bit in high school, but this was on a different level. It’s different doing it on film. You’ve got to keep being in the center of the frame while dancing, you’ve got to rehearse for months, you’ve got to be on for every take…”

The strenuous shoot seems to have paid off, though. Critics are sweet on the musical origin story, which was directed by Paul King and written by King and Simon Barnaby. Empire’s Ian Freer, for example, calls Wonka “a beguiling way to spend 116 minutes, perfectly anchored by Chalamet’s benevolent dandy.”

Wonka is expected to earn between $30-$40 million at the box office this weekend.

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For fans of the 27-year-old Chalamet — our “straight prince of twinks — Wonka is a 116-minute opportunity to see the man’s face light up the big screen. (Maybe even a screen several stories tall, if you opt for an IMAX screening.)

On X — the social platform previously called Twitter — Chalamaniacs have been posting thirst tweets, including some X-rated propositions. And on Instagram, the actor’s artistic admirers have been showing off their Timothée tributes.

Here’s a selection of the social-media hype.