Arthur Slugworth (also known as Mr. Slugworth or Mr. Wilkinson) is the main antagonist in Roald Dahl's children books, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Glass Elevator, and the film adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He was portrayed by Philip Philmar.
Arthur Slugworth is the president of Slugworth Chocolates, Incorporated, one of the rival candy companies of Willy Wonka. He is a ruthless and greedy businessman who will stop at nothing to get his hands on Wonka's secret recipes and inventions. He is also a master of disguise, posing as Mr. Wilkinson, a worker for Wonka who offers the Golden Ticket finders a bribe to steal the Everlasting Gobstopper.
Development[]
Arthur Slugworth was created by Roald Dahl as one of the three main competitors of Willy Wonka in the original book, along with Prodnose and Fickelgruber. He was given a more prominent role in the 1971 film adaptation, where he serves as the main antagonist and a foil to Wonka. He was also given the alias of Mr. Wilkinson, a twist that was not present in the book. In the 2005 film adaptation, he was portrayed by Phil Philmar, who also played the voice of the Oompa-Loompas. He had a similar role as in the 1971 film, but with a different appearance and accent. He also appeared in the 2017 animated film, Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where he was voiced by Mick Wingert. He had a cameo appearance in the 2021 film, Space Jam: A New Legacy, as one of the Warner Bros. characters in the audience. He will also appear in the 2023 film, Wonka, a prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where he will be played by Paterson Joseph.
Voice[]
Arthur Slugworth's voice was provided by Gunter Meisner in the 1971 film, Phil Philmar in the 2005 film, and Mick Wingert in the 2017 animated film. Meisner gave Slugworth a deep and menacing voice, while Philmar gave him a high-pitched and sneaky voice. Wingert gave him a similar voice to Meisner, but with a slight German accent.
Characterization[]
Arthur Slugworth is characterized as a greedy, evil, arrogant, selfish, cold, and mysterious man who has no qualms about exploiting children for his own gain. He is obsessed with beating Willy Wonka in the candy-making business and will resort to any means necessary to do so. He is also cunning and deceptive, as he disguises himself as Mr. Wilkinson, a loyal employee of Wonka, to trick the Golden Ticket finders into betraying Wonka. He is also shown to be cowardly, as he flees when Wonka confronts him.
Personality[]
Arthur Slugworth is a personification of greed and corruption, as he values money and power over anything else. He is also ruthless and unscrupulous, as he does not care about the consequences of his actions or the harm he causes to others. He is also arrogant and selfish, as he believes he is superior to Wonka and deserves to have his secrets. He is also cold and mysterious, as he rarely shows any emotion or reveals his true intentions.
Physical appearance[]
Arthur Slugworth is a bald man with a thin mustache, wearing a dark suit and a hat. He has a pale complexion and a sinister expression. He also carries a briefcase full of money. In the 2005 film, he has a more gaunt and sickly appearance, with dark circles under his eyes and a scar on his cheek. He also wears glasses and a trench coat.
In the 2023 prequel, he is an African-European, with dark skin, dark gray hair and brown eyes. He wears a double-breasted, navy blue striped business suit, white collared undershirt, a black and blue striped necktie, a light blue satin handkerchief in his breast pocket, a golden Chocolate Cartel pin on the left collar of his blazer, and black flat-heeled shoes. When out and about, he wears a black fedora with a dark gray hatband, a like-colored dark blue overcoat (the same as his business suit) and carries a brown wooden cane with a gold and blue bejeweled top.
History[]
Arthur Slugworth is the president of Slugworth Chocolates, Incorporated, one of the rival candy companies of Willy Wonka. He was once a worker for Wonka, but he betrayed him and stole some of his recipes, along with Prodnose and Fickelgruber. This caused Wonka to close his factory to the world and fire all his workers. Slugworth then became obsessed with getting more of Wonka's secrets and inventions, especially the Everlasting Gobstopper, a candy that never gets smaller or loses its flavor.
When Wonka announced that he would reopen his factory to five lucky children who find Golden Tickets hidden in his chocolate bars, Slugworth saw this as an opportunity to infiltrate the factory and steal the Gobstopper. He disguised himself as Mr. Wilkinson, a worker for Wonka who was in charge of distributing the Golden Tickets. He then approached each of the five children who found the tickets and offered them a bribe to steal the Gobstopper for him. He claimed that he would pay them a large sum of money and make them rich and famous. He also warned them not to tell anyone about his offer, as it was a secret between them.
However, this was all part of Wonka's plan to test the children's character and morality. Wonka had hired Slugworth to pose as Mr. Wilkinson and tempt the children with his offer. He wanted to see if any of the children would resist Slugworth's offer and prove themselves worthy of inheriting his factory. The only child who did so was Charlie Bucket, who decided to return the Gobstopper to Wonka instead of giving it to Slugworth. Wonka then revealed that Slugworth was actually Mr. Wilkinson, and that he had passed his test. He then congratulated Charlie and offered him to be his successor. Slugworth then congratulated Charlie as well and apologized for his deception. He then left the factory with the other workers, presumably never to bother Wonka again.
In the original book, Arthur Slugworth does not play as vital of a role as he does in the film, being only one of three of the rival chocolate manufacturers that threatened Wonka's business. He is also not involved in the Golden Ticket plot, nor does he disguise himself as Mr. Wilkinson. He is only mentioned by Wonka as one of the people who tried to steal his recipes, and by Grandpa Joe as one of the people who would pay a fortune for the Gobstopper.
In the book, Slugworth is described as having a "pointed nose like a vulture", while in the films, he has a normal nose.
In the book, Slugworth is said to be from Switzerland, while in the films, he is from Germany.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
In the original story, Arthur Slugworth does not play as vital of a role as he does in the film, being only one of three of the rival chocolate manufacturers that threatened Wonka's business.
