Robb recently shared a little of what it was like on the set of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" with About.com. While promoting "Because of Winn-Dixie" the subject of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" came up and Robb, while obviously not allowed to share much of what audiences can expect when "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" hits theaters this July, did talk glowingly about "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" star Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton.
Robb, who plays Violet Beauregarde in the film, said life on the set was a lot of fun. "Everyone was so great. I loved all the British accents because we shot in London. It felt like a family because we were there for half a year and all the sets were very big and real," recalls Robb.
In Dahl's book, Violet turns blue and inflates like a giant balloon. Robb wouldn't disclose how they turned her blue but she did say she had to don prosthetics and was raised 14 feet in the air.
When asked if there are little people playing Oompa Loompas in Burton's version of the film, Robb responded, "No. They’re the real thing. I shouldn’t say any more." Where exactly do you find real Oompa Loompas? According to Robb, "L.A. in secret places."
Her character in "Because of Winn-Dixie is a sweet, innocent young girl. In "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," Robb gets to be a real meanie. Robb confesses she had a good time playing mean. "It was the total opposite from Opal but I liked to play a brat because it was kind of fun playing mean. But then, of course, you need to change back to your real self. You don’t want to be mean or cruel."
Just how cool is Johnny Depp? Robb says, "He’s such a great guy. He’s really down to earth and just wonderful; a wonderful human being and he talks to you, not like one of those people who go off to their trailers and hide. I’ve never worked with anybody like that but he hangs around with you and he talks about his kids which, as a kid, makes me feel comfortable."
Director Tim Burton may have a reputation of being a bit bizarre but Robb found him to be wonderful to work with. "I think he’s the best of everybody. He has such an imagination and it’s so cool. He has all these ideas and then he puts them in and you’re in this set with his imagination. It’s him. It feels like you’re actually in his mind and I think that’s very cool."
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"Because of Winn-Dixie" hits theaters February 18, 2005 and is rated PG for thematic elements and brief mild language. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" will be released on July 15, 2005.
