Paul Connell, the actor who played Willy Wonka at a failed fan event in Glasgow, has spoken out about the chaotic and disappointing experience that left many children and parents angry and upset.
The Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Experience, organized by the House of Illuminati, promised to be an “immersive journey into pure imagination” with “optical marvels” and “extraordinary props” for a £35 ($44) ticket. However, what the attendees got was a far cry from the magical world of Roald Dahl’s beloved book and film.
Paul Connell, who was hired to play the eccentric candy maker, said that he was given the role only a couple of days before the event and handed a “gibberish” script that was “AI-generated” and made no sense. He said that he had to improvise most of his lines and interact with the audience in a “dirty warehouse” with minimal decorations and effects.
He also mentioned that they were instructed to hand out one jelly bean per child as a reward.
“We were told to hand out one jelly bean per child, and a quarter of a cup of Tesco own-brand lemonade. That was what the children got – no chocolate!..I really think they missed a trick, because if there’s ever an event to sell chocolate, I’d say it was this one.“
The Glasgow Wonka actor said that he understood why the families were angry and that he tried to make the best of a bad situation.
There was an angry mob at the door not being let in. People were shouting, people who put on the event were crying. There were arguments, people running around everywhere — the set had been trashed … It was actually getting quite dangerous for us. But it was heartbreaking, to be honest. There were kids in costumes better than ours, crying … We as actors were brought in last minute and we just did our best for the kids.”
The House of Illuminati has not responded to the criticism but it appears that the event has been cancelled after the first one due to the negative feedback and low attendance.
Paul Connell said that he hoped that the event would not tarnish his reputation as an actor and that he would like to play Willy Wonka again in a better production. He said that he loved the character and the story and that he wanted to give the fans a memorable experience.
