Candymaker Gabriella Cugno discusses how she created the edible sweets for the musical prequel film.
“It was such a magical experience.
The films directorPaul Kingand producerDavid Heymancertainly think she lives up to this nickname.
There’s Timothée Chalamet’s Wonka and then there’s Gabriella Cugno, the real chocolatier behind the film’s candy goodness.Everett Collection; Warner Bros.
He definitely indulged in Gabriella’s chocolates,” Heyman says.
“But we made sure that they tasted as good as they looked.”
Everett Collection; Warner Bros.
Cugnos golden ticket came in the form of an email.
Chocolatier Gabriella Cugno.Simon Regan
“I replied, and then it came back and the signature wasWonka,” Cugno remembers.
Its the kind of job that Cugno has been more subtly pulling off in her own career.
“It could be a box of paints or a pantry of ingredients.
On the cusp of her 20s, Cugno had her ownWonkamoment.
The candy forWonka, however, was “definitely on another level,” she says.
“If it needs to be warmer, he would put in a coat.”
Take the Thundercloud, which was the first chocolate Cugno made forWonka.
“I remember I was in my hotel room reading the script,” she recalls.
If it’s going to be a Thundercloud, it has to look like a thundercloud.”
Often times the props department would step in to 3D print specific molds for her to use.
Then came those show-and-tells King and Heyman spoke of.
Though Heyman points out a challenge that comes with that.
Calah Lane, who plays the young girl Noodle, restrained herself, Heyman adds.
And yes, that chocolate was very much real.
I would say that was probably one of the more challenging, practical elements of the shoot."
Fortunately, Cugno didn’t have to worry about where to find that amount of chocolate.
Warner Bros. had already taken care of that.
She just had to worry about keeping the chocolate melted.
And she seems to appreciate a good pun!
“It was a very, verywonky experience,” she says, playfully.
Wonkais playing in theaters starting this Friday.
Watch EW’sAround the Tablewith the cast below.
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