Who organized the Glasgow Willy Wonka event? Oompa Loompa actress breaks silence, says she has not yet been paid 

The actress who played Oompa Loompa, Kirsty Paterson in the highly criticized Glasgow Willy Wonka chocolate factory experience revealed she has not been paid. Paterson went viral after a photograph of her looking morose in a "science lab" conducting experiments for customers at the event was shared on social media.

Paterson told MailOnline, that she was yet to be paid, calling it "a complete and utter shambles." The Oompa Loompa actress, who teaches yoga to kids, added:

"I was angry at the time because I felt like this is embarrassing for me, and I felt bad for the people coming in as well. I actually ended up shouting at the guy. I just said to him he’s a joke and this is like embarrassing, and how can we basically live with himself, doing this to people."

The Willy Wonka event, organized by the House of Illuminati at Hubbox, debuted on Saturday, February 24, 2024, and promised to deliver “delectable” chocolate fountains and “whimsical” Oompa-Loompas. It was advertised as an immersive experience for families.

According to her interview with Vulture, Kirsty took the role because she was offered almost 633 dollars (L500) for two days of work. She was initially skeptical at first, as the offer was not made through an agency.

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Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory Experience was shut down after less than a day's operation

The audience was charged $44 (L35) for the alleged world of imagination featuring actors in crude costumes reading seemingly AI-generated scripts. The event also had a small jumping castle, scattered props, and low-res Candyland posters. At the end, the children were handed a few jelly beans and lemonade.

After less than a day, the Willy Wonka event was shut down after angry parents called the cops, demanding a return from the organizers.

As images from the Willy Wonka event went viral, one particular photo caught the internet's attention. It featured Kirsty Paterson looking dead in a bad Oompa Loompa costume. She was standing in a smoky "Jellybean Room," which many parents called a "meth lab."

Per her Vulture interview, the night before the event, the actors were given a script and asked to improvise. However, they did not receive any updates on costumes or makeup. Despite not wanting to proceed with the gig, Paterson thought:

"But I’d signed the contract, and part of me didn’t want to disappoint the kids going to this. Honestly, it was bad enough. I knew it was shocking, but I know I’m good at what I do, so I was like, If I can bring a wee bit of something good to this..."

As per Paterson, she was supposed to hand out jelly beans as part of the "experiments" she carried out at her "science lab." However, she ran out of treats soon and unsuccessfully tried to make it slightly more exciting for the kids in the audience. Exasperated and embarrassed, she "walked off the scene."

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Kirsty Paterson's outburst at the event comes after Willy Wonka impersonator Paul Connell discussed with The Independent how he landed the gig and the fiasco that followed. He explained that he was an actor who was hired at the last minute and that he did not organize anything.