 A native of Cleveland , Ostrum was 12 years old when selected by talent agents for Willy Wonka . Though he enjoyed the experience of shooting the film , he opted not to sign a three @-@ film contract when it was over . After eschewing a career in film and theatre , Ostrum became reluctant to speak about his one starring role . In 1990 , he began an annual tradition of speaking to schoolchildren about the film , and he became a subject of interest again when 2005 's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was released in theaters . 
