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It's been 44 years since the original Willy Wonka entered his now famous chocolate factory, and the cast reunited Wednesday on "The Today Show."
Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum), Augustus Gloop (Michael Bollner), Mike Teevee (Paris Themmen), Veruca Salt (Julie Dawn Cole), Violet Beauregarde (Denise Nickerson) and Rusty Goofe (Oompa Loompa) say they've stayed in touch over the years.
"We think of ourselves as a family," Themmen said.
Each of the cast members spoke about their experiences in their roles.
"It's fun to be bad and to be encouraged to be bad," Cole said of her role as the spoiled Veruca Salt.
Nickerson, who played the gum-loving Beauregarde, said she stopped chewing gum after the movie when she discovered that she had 13 cavities.
Ostrum is now a veterinarian.
"It's scary for me because when we made the movie, they were kids," said Goffe, the oldest member of the reunion and the "grandpa" of the group.
They all said they would do it again.
"The first thing people do when they find out who we are is smile," Nickerson said.
The best spilled secret?
The chocolate river was just colored water!
Check out the interview below.
