Alex Black plays Mike Teavee's double in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He tells Ushma Mistry what it was like being on the set with Johnny Depp.

Alex Black won more than a golden ticket when he landed a part on the film Charlie and Chocolate Factory. The 12-year-old from Byrant's Bottom was chosen to play the body double of actor Jordan Fry who takes on the role of Mike Teavee.

Alex spent six months last year being filmed at Pinewood Studios alongside Johnny Depp who plays Willy Wonka.

He also worked alongside Freddie Highmore (Charlie Bucket), David Kelly (Grandpa) and the three other children Julia Winter (Veruca Salt), Anna Sophia Robb (Violet Beauregarde) and Philip Wiegratz (Augustus Gloop).

Alex says: "I had my first audition in June last year and then they called some of us back for more auditions at Pinewood Studios where I was chosen to play Jordan Fry's double. I was photographed in hundreds of ways, from lots of different angles.

Although Alex was excited about being part of Tim Burton's film based on Roald Dahl's book, he didn't let on to his schoolmates at John Hampden Grammar School in High Wycombe.

"Some of my schoolfriends knew what I was doing but a lot of them didn't because I didn't really tell anyone. The most common question I was asked was is it true you have worked on a film with Johnny Depp?'"

Tim Burton was looking for body doubles for all of the main characters and Alex fitted the description so well that when he came back from being transformed into Mike Teavee, his mum couldn't tell them apart.

Moira Black, says: "I thought I was seeing double. It took me a while to recognise Alex because he looked so much like Jordan. There is only an inch in height between them and they had the same haircut and same clothes and they even move in the same way."

Alex received his official contract in the post from Warner Bros and before he knew it, he was being whisked off in a luxury Mercedes Benz most mornings to join the cast and crew of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, ready to be filmed.

He says: "I was really happy when I heard that I got the part because I have never done anything as big as this before. I have done some TV shows and one or two small films but nothing like this so I was really excited."

As a body double, Alex is only required to be filmed for certain shots involving the character of Mike Teavee, so a lot of time is spent waiting around but that does not mean it is spent playing computer games and watching dvds. All of the child actors have to have a minimum of three hours and up to a maximum of five hours of tutoring a day.

Alex's teachers would email his schoolwork to the studios which he would have to complete to ensure that he did not fall behind with his studies. But when he wasn't studying or filming, Alex was having a great time.

He recalls: "It wasn't hard work. Most of the time we were sitting around in a big lounge watching DVDs."

Alex was invited to a wrap party by Warner Bros where his invite was in the form of his own Willy Wonka golden ticket which he could keep. He was also invited to the glitzy premiere in Leicester Square when he finally got to see the finished film and recognised himself in it.

He says: "There's a bit in the film where they are all running about in this big room. Mike Teavee decides to step on a big pumpkin full of jam. There's a close-up of his feet but they're not Jordan's feet, they're mine."

Filming of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory finished at the beginning of December but Alex and Jordan were called back to the studios to do more filming because director Tim Burton was not happy with a few scenes.

Alex says: "They decided they wanted some more shots of us in the lift, so they filmed it in the same way the film Polar Express was done. We had to wear these black lycra nylon suits which had like silver coloured ping-pong balls with little cameras on it."

Alex's sister Lucy, 10, is also in the film as an extra so the whole family were invited to the premiere and got to sit on the front row. Moira recalls: "Warner Bros really made Alex feel very special and it was a great way for Alex to finish prep school."

The siblings were also invited to be the first children through the gates of the new Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre on the day of its official opening and Alex has donated his golden ticket invite to be displayed at the museum as part of its permenant exhibition.

Although Alex has seen the film already, he can't wait for it to come out today and will be going to see it again with a group of friends and family.