When my family would take long car rides, especially to my uncle's house, I always needed some form of entertainment. So, one Christmas, I opened up a present, and stared at a beautiful portable DVD player. Yes, this was before the time of iPads and built-in TV's on cars. So it became a little tradition: every time we had a long car ride ahead of us, I'd pick a movie or two to watch during the journey. Always, and I mean always, one of the candidates to watch was "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."
A few years ago, when I was thinking about why I enjoyed that movie so much, I realized that I watched this movie not for the candy or the outlandish creations of Mr. Wonka. It was not the silly antics of the children or the feel-good story of Charlie Bucket. I realized that it was the character of Willy Wonka, but it was still more than that. It was not only the character of Willy Wonka, but Gene Wilder's portrayal of him.
Having read the book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" many times, including once in college for a children's literature class, I know how the character of Mr. Wonka could have been played. Mr. Wonka could have been a crazy lunatic who was very good at making candy. But that is not what Gene Wilder did. Mr. Wilder grounded the character and made him more realistic and relatable. His portrayal of the character was not as a cartoon or a lunatic. Instead, Mr. Wilder played the character right on the fine line between the genius and the insane. Gene Wilder made Mr. Wonka just like the rest of us, with dreams and ambitions. Mr. Wonka was not crazy. He simply saw his imagination come to fruition. He made his dreams came true.
That is Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka taught me. No matter how crazy it seems, or how impossible it is to reach, I can make it happen. Sometimes, imagination can become reality.
And yet, he did all this while still being hysterically funny. "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" was simply my first encounter with Gene Wilder. I truly believe that he does not get enough credit for some of the magnificent work he does in other films. His movies with Mel Brooks still to this day make me laugh, even though I've seen them many times. I am also a big fan of some of his stage work and other movies because his comedy is so essential to them all. He practically steals the show or movie.
As a comedic actor (mostly) myself, I really studied what made him so funny. When I watch him closely, there were two aspects in particular that really made his technique. Gene Wilder was an expert at using silence to great comedic effect. Many comedians have great comedic timing, but Gene Wilder seemed to actually utilize the silence better than anyone else. In so many scenes, when someone would say something off-putting or awkward, Mr. Wilder would simply stare at anything for a moment, move his mouth up and down like he would say something, say the smallest of things, and it would be hysterical. Right after that stare, I would notice the second aspect: his eyes. During these silences, his eyes would dart around as if he was searching for something to say. In hysterical moments, his eyes would be wide and bright, still darting around the room. This made his on-screen meltdowns amazingly entertaining to watch. (Especially in his famous "I'm hysterical, and I'm wet." scene in "The Producers.") Even when someone would tell him something he didn't want to hear, and he had a sarcastic comment ready as a reply, he'd slightly close his eyelids and stare. His eyes defined his characters, and that's what I think made him absolutely thrilling to watch.
Mr. Wilder is, and always will be, one of my great comedic inspirations. I was deeply saddened by his death, and I do not mean that in a cliché way. I was actually taken aback when I heard the news. I guess I thought he was a Everlasting Gobstopper and would never really die. But needless to say, his legacy will live on. At the very least, I will always remember him, because he is not only one of my great comedic heroes, but also and inspiration from my childhood.
Rest in peace, Mr. Wilder. Enjoy your view from paradise.
