I played Augustus Gloop in Willy Wonka film but became a tax lawyer – nobody knows who I am in my new career
THE actor who played Augustus Gloop in the Willy Wonka film quit acting – and became a tax lawyer.
Michael Böllner played the role of the greedy, chocolate-loving child in the 1971 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
But the child star, who was just 12 years old when he starred in the smash-hit movie, left the showbiz world soon after.
He found a career working as a tax lawyer in his native country Germany.
The former movie star, who is now 62, revealed Willy Wonka wasn’t as popular with German viewers.
Michael said: “The film is not famous in Germany. Nobody knew of the film until the version with Johnny Depp came out [in 2005].
“So when I tell people I was a part of the Willy Wonka movie, nobody knows.”
ITV’s This Morning previously celebrated the movie turning 50 and invited Michael on the show.
Speaking to the presenters, he said he signed up to film the movie without thinking it would go anywhere.
He told: “I just went down to make this movie, stayed there for a few weeks and I didn’t really know what was going on.
“I thought, ‘This is just a movie and it will fade away very quickly’.”
While the movie had children – and their parents – wishing they could visit the fictional factory, it wasn’t as glam behind the scenes.
Böllner added: “It was cold water old water, terrible stinking water, it had been there for weeks and it was very shallow, just 10cm deep.
“There was a small space of about a square metre where I had to jump in, it was dangerous because the water was not clear.”