【2002 Archives】

Since the trailer hit last summer002 Archives we've been singing the praises of Timothée Chalamet's turn as Willy Wonka. But with the film finally in theaters, we can now celebrate Wonka's secret weapons: Scrubbit and Bleacher, a pair of villainous schemers played by Academy Award winner Olivia Colman and Paddington 2 standout Tom Davis.

Within the world of Wonka, Scrubbit is a manipulative landlady who uses devious fine print to lure unwitting guests at her boarding house into indentured servitude. Towering and intimidating, Bleacher is her muscle. But as Willy and his friends conspire to escape, they also play matchmaker for this gruesome twosome, creating a romance that we can't help but root for! 

Wonka director Paul King adores coupled villains Scrubbit and Bleacher.

Paul King directing Olivia Colman on the set of "Wonka." Credit: Warner Bros.

In an interview with Mashable, Wonka co-writer and director Paul King chirped of Scrubbit and Bleacher, "I love them!" He explained that the characters aren't directly pulled from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but that their dastardly ploy of trapping unwitting boarders came from "The Landlady," a Roald Dahl short story intended for adults. 

---

You May Also Like

---

---

Nonetheless, King said, "They feel to me the most Roald Dahl-y bit of [Wonka]. They're so irredeemably awful, and [Dahl] wrote such great ghastly couples throughout his career. [Co-writer Simon Farnaby and I] were just trying to channel that."

"I love the names. I love the performances," King continued with a smile. "Olivia is obviously incredible. And I think the world knows Olivia is incredible, but Tom Davis is not so well known outside the UK. And he's so great. He makes me laugh in every line he has — and he's so disturbing!" 

Tom Davis as Bleacher in "Wonka." Credit: Warner Bros.

King explained that Davis's size has a part to play in how the actor can come off as unnerving and hilarious. "He's enormous," the director began. "I mean, he doesn't just look big on screen. He's about six foot eight or nine. He's an absolute whopper, and I am no giant. So I always feel like I'm speaking to somebody from a Ray Harryhausen movie when we get together, and I'm about to be picked up and my head eaten off! But he's a very gentle soul and extremely funny." 

SEE ALSO: You're wrong about Timothée Chalamet in 'Wonka' 

Of their previous collaboration on the Paddington sequel, in which Davis appears as a grumbling prisoner named T-Bone, King said, "I loved him in Paddington 2, because he only had a few lines, but he made me laugh with every single one of them. And he did the same again. And I love his vulnerability. Like, what's so great in both of [these movies] is that you go, 'He's this brute, a great bruiser.' But you feel he just needs a cuddle." 

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

In Paddington 2, T-Bone befriends the titular bear, which isn't too shabby. But Bleacher does get that cuddle in Wonka, and it all begins with a word from Willy himself: "She'll be thankful for an ankle. She'll be pleased to see your knees. But if you want to make her sigh, show some thigh!" 

"It's great dating advice," King said of the rhyme. 

Paul King on Wonka's seduction scene, special underwear, and an unexpected allusion. 

Olivia Colman, Tom Davis, and Timothée Chalamet in "Wonka." Credit: Warner Bros.

In following that advice — and playing into Willy's eccentric mechanization for escape — Bleacher sports some very short lederhosen to catch the eye of Scrubbit. And it works. He struts into Scrubbit's lobby, thighs out and feeling flirty. And soon, this ruddy romantic is swooning. Still, a bit where Bleacher bends over to give his crush a peek at his derriere offered unexpected trouble for costuming. 

"[Davis] was wearing very short underwear [beneath his costume]. And we had to send him back to wear shorter underwear because we could see the edges," King explained. "We could sort of see the modern kind of texture and [realized] it's gonna have to be the briefest of briefs [for Bleacher]. I'm perversely proud of the fact."

---

Related Stories

---

• 'Wonka' review: Can Timothée Chalamet win over the haters?
• Feast your eyes on these 'Wonka'-themed hotel suites
• Timothée Chalamet and Hugh Grant team up in sugar-coated 'Wonka' trailer
• 15 catchiest, most dazzling musicals on Netflix
• This high-tech candy shop carves your face out of Belgian chocolate

To be clear, as King pointed out, "It's a family movie," and nothing salacious can be seen in this seduction scene — just a lot of leg. "He's got great legs," the filmmaker noted of Davis. "Him and Julia Roberts." 

In short, how could Scrubbit not fall for Bleacher? Not only is he a mountain of a man with a softer side begging for a cuddle, but also he's got sensational stems, and his wooing involves lederhosen and an allusion that might make grown-ups chuckle. For as he struts his stuff for Scrubbit, the camera's lens catches her reaction from beneath his saucily exposed thigh. 

"That [is a] sort ofMrs. Robinson tribute," King said, calling it out, "which is a shot I'd always loved, but I'd never imagined doing with quite such a hairy leg in the foreground."

Wonkais now streaming on Max. 

Topics Film