Peter Ostrum, who played Charlie Bucket in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, still receives residual payments for his role more than five decades later. The 67-year-old retired veterinarian, who never acted in another film, said he gets a cheque for roughly $8 to $9 every few months from TV screenings.
In a 2018 interview at the Snowtown Film Festival, Ostrum revealed that his wife, Loretta M. Lepkowski, had no idea he was a former child star when they met. She later remarked: 'Once I saw it, I realised — “Wow, he had a major part.”'
Despite the film's enduring popularity, Ostrum recalled its initial reception was 'lukewarm', earning only about $4 million at the box office. He said people 'forgot about it' at the time, but the story has been revived by subsequent adaptations, including the 2005 Johnny Depp remake.
Speaking during a 2021 virtual reunion, Ostrum noted: 'You can’t kill Wonka. It just gets played over and over again... Anything that talks about Wonka is good for the Wonka story.' He turned down a three-film deal after the original, preferring a more stable career as a veterinarian.
Ostrum, a father of two, said he has 'great affection' for the story's message that honesty and hard work lead to good outcomes. He added: 'I think I just played myself in the film – in real life I am a horrible singer and they told me that they weren’t going to use my voice but they did.'
