One of my favorite Hollywood stories involves Gene Wilder’s one condition for playing Willie Wonka in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory:

“When I make my first entrance, I’d like to come out of the door carrying a cane and then walk toward the crowd with a limp. After the crowd sees Willy Wonka is a cripple, they all whisper to themselves and then become deathly quiet. As I walk toward them, my cane sinks into one of the cobblestones I’m walking on and stands straight up, by itself; but I keep on walking, until I realize that I no longer have my cane. I start to fall forward, and just before I hit the ground, I do a beautiful forward somersault and bounce back up, to great applause.”

Asked why, Wilder said, “Because from that time on, no one will know if I’m lying or telling the truth.”

It’s a great story that really showcases Wilder’s brilliance. Unfortunately, I’m not sure it actually happened.

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