Timothée Chalamet's Wonka movie is out now and it's introducing some characters in his story. Although there have been two other films adapted from Roald Dahl's classic children's novel, Wonka is an origin story. Thus, we meet new characters like Lottie Bell in Wonka.
Who is Lottie Bell in Wonka?
Since Wonka just released in theaters, there is not much information available on Lottie Bell yet. All we know, upon this writing, is that the character is played by Rakhee Thakrar.
As for the character that Thakrar plays, Bell is a timid woman who works as a telephone operator. Her character poster shows her wearing a headset and holding the end of what looks like an auxiliary jack cable.
Long before the advent of technology, people worked as telephone operators who assisted in transferring calls, answering questions, and logging data on incoming and outgoing calls. It was far different from what we are accustomed to today. This is what her character does in the film.
Is Lottie Bell in the Previous Films?
Lottie Bell in Wonka is an original character. There is no mention of Bell in the source material, the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Her character is also not referenced to in either Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) movies.
The simplest explanation behind her character's absence in these films is because Wonka (2023) is the origin story of Willy Wonka, played by Timothée Chalamet. There are plenty of other characters in the film that we get to meet for the first time in Wonka.
The film gives us a glimpse into Willy's youth, long before he became the famous chocolatier that he is today. Meanwhile, both the novel and the movies are about Wonka's older days: when he has already established his chocolate factory and is far from dreaming about a future filled with chocolate.
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Who is Rakhee Thakrar?
But who is the actress who plays Lottie Bell in Wonka? You might recognize Rakhee Thakrar for her portrayal of Emily Sands in the Netflix series, Sex Education.
Thakrar also played Shabnam Masood in the soap opera EastEnders by BBC One. More recently, she voiced Bliss, the companion of the Eighth Doctor in Big Finish's audio drama, Doctor Who: The Time War.
It's exciting to see Thakrar be part of a well-loved film as she returns to the big screen. Hopefully, this is just the start for Thakrar and we'll get to see her in more movies in the future.
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