Peter Ostrum cameo’s in Wonka’s The Golden Ticket, so why did the child star quit Hollywood?

Peter Ostrum starred as the very first Charlie Bucket in 1971’s Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, and he briefly appears at the start of Netflix’s Wonka’s The Golden Ticket. However, despite being in one of the most well loved films, Peter never appeared in another film again after Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, so why did he quit the industry?

After the film, Peter was actually offered a three movie deal, but he declined after he realised that he didn’t want to stay in the movie industry. After the release of the film, his parents had bought him a horse to celebrate and from there he realised what a love for animals he had. 

In an interview with The American Veterinary Medical Association, Peter shared: “My father was a lawyer, and I really didn’t have a clue what he did all day. But I knew exactly what the veterinarian did. Someone making a living from something he enjoyed so much really sparked my interest.

“I thought, if that doesn’t work, then maybe I could do something else. But I would always have in the back of my mind, ‘you should’ve tried to get into veterinary school.’ If I didn’t pursue that, I’d always kick myself.”

He then decided to enroll at Cornell University and graduated with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1984, telling Hollywood Chicago in 2011: “I’m a veterinarian. Being in the film industry as a child was hard, and I couldn’t keep it going. But in the end leaving was the right decision.”

However, Peter Ostrum shared that he does technically still get royalties for his role as Charlie Bucket, although something tells me even his small cameo on Wonka’s The Golden Ticket will have paid him more. 

At the Snowtown Film Festival, he revealed he gets around $8 to $9 every three months in royalties, what a payday!

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