- Dick Van Dyke opened up about his storied career at his Dick & Arlene Van Dyke Present Vandy Camp event in Malibu on April 20, and he reflected on some of the parts he didn’t get
- Van Dyke addressed a rumor that he was “offered” the role of Willy Wonka in 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
- Van Dyke looked back on his career journey and how learning to dance for Bye Bye Birdie changed his focus
Dick Van Dyke has plenty of iconic roles under his belt, but was Willy Wonka the one that got away? Not so much.
Dick, 99, and his wife Arlene took part in a Q&A about his life during the Dick & Arlene Van Dyke Present Vandy Camp event at Aviator Nation Dreamland in Malibu, Calif., last month.
During the event, Dick was asked if he was offered the role of Willy Wonka. “I wasn’t offered Willy Wonka,” he said. “I would like to have, but the guy did a beautiful job,” he added, referencing Gene Wilder, who played the role in 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
But Dick added that he thinks Wilder, who died in 2016 at age 83, did a better job than he would have. “What he did, it was subtle. I am not very subtle,” he explained.
Dick also reflected on some of the other opportunities that passed him by during his career. “I got a call one day from my agent. He said, ‘I just had a call from Sophia Loren’s manager. She wants to do a movie with you,’ ” he remembered. “I said, ‘When do we start?’ He said, ‘I turned it down.’ ” His agent said he’d have to take second billing and make less money. “I said, ‘I don’t care if I mention my name!’ ” Dick recalled, but the film never happened, and he’s still never met Loren.
Dick also reflected on his early career, when he was “auditioning for anything” and ended up trying out for the musical Bye Bye Birdie. “Gower Champion, who was the choreographer, he said, ‘I like you. You were right for the part,’ ” Dick said. “And I said, ‘Mr. Champion, I don’t know how to dance.’ He said, ‘I’ll teach you.’ And he did.”
“I had never danced in my life,” he said. “It was like learning to fly around that stage. My God, I just loved it. And then I’ve been dancing ever since.” Van Dyke won the Tony Award for best featured actor in a musical in 1961 for the show and made his movie debut in the film adaptation. When he starred in his eponymous series The Dick Van Dyke Show, he found plenty of excuses to dance, and he danced alongside Julie Andrews in 1964’s Mary Poppins as Bert the chimney sweep.
In 1968, he starred in the musical film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and he told PEOPLE at the Vandy Camp event that he wished Andrews, now 89, had starred with him in that film, too. “But she didn’t want to do any more children’s stuff, which I love to do,” Dick explained.
Dick also performed with his a cappella group the Vantastix at the event, which raised money for the Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Community Brigade.
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“I love what I’m doing,” the recent Daytime Emmy winner told PEOPLE, adding that he’s hoping for an EGOT as his 100th birthday looms later this year. “I’ve got one of everything except an Oscar.”
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