A Willy Wonka event ended in disaster. From its ashes rose a budding star.
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Monday, November 25, 2024


A Willy Wonka event ended in disaster. From its ashes rose a budding star.
Felicia Dawkins practicing at The London Dungeon Theatre in London on April 5, 2024. Felicia Dawkins aka The Unknown from the viral failed Willy Wonka experience, will be doing a special guest 2-day role at the Dungeon. (Suzie Howell/The New York Times)

by Derrick Bryson Taylor



NEW YORK, NY.- On one chilly evening in March, after the sun had set and when most school-age children were begrudgingly starting their homework, Felicia Dawkins, 16, enthusiastically hopped on the phone from Scotland to share that her life had changed — for the better.

She introduced herself with the kind of bubbly energy and giddiness that only a teenager can radiate. It is the same energy that drew millions of viewers to her TikTok account, where she unveiled herself as a key participant in a Willy Wonka-themed event that had gone so poorly that its memes briefly took over large portions of the internet and international news coverage went on for days.

That event, in Glasgow, Scotland, in late February, failed to create the dazzling experience it promised. The fallout — in true internet fashion — was swift and brutal. Organizers quickly shut down the event and promised full refunds to disgruntled families.

In the aftermath, the internet latched on to one of the event’s more inexplicable characters, known only as “The Unknown,” played by Felicia. Footage of her performance as an evil chocolate-maker who lives in the walls of the factory, which included emerging from behind a mirror to the cries of children, spread widely online, kicking off the teenager’s 15 minutes of fame.

She’s capitalizing now, taking her scaring talents south for a guest appearance at the London Dungeon, a theatrical thrill attraction in the shadow of the city’s London Eye, this weekend. The company reached out to Felicia shortly after her viral moment to invite her to train with the performance team and appear in the attraction.

“We could see she has a real passion and talent, for theater and interactions with guests,” Richard Quincey, head of performance at London Dungeon and South Bank Attractions, said in a statement.

Felicia’s mother, Janet Dawkins, said she had mixed emotions about the Wonka event failing so miserably, and so publicly.

“Everything led to her getting all of this, all these opportunities,” Dawkins said. “So, I can’t really say that I’m mad about anything that went down, if I’m honest.”

Dawkins said she was “very, very proud” of Felicia and that her family had been closely involved in helping the young actress find her footing amid all the attention.

Felicia spoke with the Times about her brief time at Willy’s Chocolate Experience, her love of all things frightening and her acting ambitions. The following is an edited and condensed version of that conversation.

Q: What was your life like before Willy’s Chocolate Experience?

A: I was just attending school as normal. I was preparing for my highers at school, which is basically just exams. And my favorite subject in school — I really love drama, which is very cliché. I like PE as well. I’m quite physical. I’m a Scout as well, in my free time.

Q: What kinds of things do you do in Scouts? I want to see if it’s similar or different to the Scouts in the United States.

A: Some weeks we’ll just do games, some weeks we’ll learn about badges, and then we go on camps quite often as well, which is really fun. I actually got selected to go to Norway this year from Scouts, which is why I took the Willy Wonka Experience job as well, to pay for that.

Q: How did you land the opportunity to participate in the Willy Wonka experience?

A: Basically, just someone from House of Illuminati [the organizer of the Wonka event] was talking to a family friend about this massive Wonka experience. And then my name came up in conversation that I would make a good Wonka because I love acting in real life. And they’ve seen me before, because I go to theater school here as well.

Q: Were you paid for the Wonka experience?

A: I was paid, yeah. I wasn’t paid the full amount, but I got paid 250 pounds [about $315].

Q: And how much were you promised?

A: Five hundred pounds [about $630].

Q: Take us back to the day of the event. What was going through your mind, and did you think the event was going well or did you think it was disastrous?

A: When I first got there and I seen the set, I thought, “Oh, this is going to be a disaster.” But when people started to come in — like the first, I’d say, 45 minutes went relatively well — like, people seemed to be enjoying it. But then after that, it just lost all the organization, and then it just went completely downhill from there. And I just thought, “Oh, my gosh!”

Q: As an actor, when you’re in that situation and you’re given a script that you have to learn right away, what sorts of emotions come up?

A: I was so, so nervous about it because I’ve done, like, shows before. I’m quite good at learning lines. But seeing that, I was like, there’s no way I can learn this in, like, a night. And because the script was AI generated, most of it didn’t even make sense. So it was harder for me to learn, so I just had to improvise it.

Q: Why did you decide to reveal yourself on TikTok after the experience shut down?

A: Nobody knew, really, that I was the Unknown. I told a couple of my close friends, but when people on TikTok started to come forward and say that they were the Unknown, I was like, “No, you’re not, because I’m the Unknown.” And more and more people started doing it, and they were getting loads of the likes, and loads of clout, and loads of money from it. So I was like, I just have to come out and show that I was the 16-year-old girl that did that.

Q: Some of your TikTok videos have received millions of views. How are you handling your newfound fame?

A: It’s a complete wild one, but I have to say my family — they’ve been so supportive during this. They’ve been helping me through all of that. They’ve been managing my TikTok, like, looking for new opportunities for me to do. I have to say, it’s, like, my family, they’re helping me through it all.

Q: Are you feeling overwhelmed by it, or are you enjoying the limelight?

A: I’m definitely overwhelmed by it, but I still like it because I put a smile on people’s faces. Like, I make people laugh. That makes me really happy.

Q: What have been some of the highlights?

A: I’ve been getting sent loads of fan art and loads of merch. That has to be like the No. 1 thing — that people are taking time out of their day to make stuff for me and sending it to me.

Q: I’ve read that you want to be a full-time actress. Tell me more about that goal, and what would be your dream job?

A: After I did “Elf,” the musical [a production she starred in a few years ago as the lead character, Buddy], I said to my mom, like, “I really want to take this further.” And she got me into an acting school. So that helped me get into so much more, like, productions and stuff. So I think just trying to get more opportunities. That would be the best thing for me because it’s just so much fun.

Q: You’re heading to London to be a guest performer at the London Dungeon on April 7. If you can tell me, do you know what your role will be?

A: Yeah! I’m so, so excited. I think I’m just going to be the Unknown at the event. I’m not quite sure, though, but I think that’s who I am.

Q: How are you preparing for it?

A: Watching lots of horror movies.

Q: Which ones are you watching?

A: “The Grudge.”

Q: Are you easily scared? I guess you can’t be if you’re into horror, right?

A: I used to be scared when I was younger. But now that, like, I love it, I’m not really scared anymore.

Q: Would it be accurate to say you enjoy haunting and scaring people?

A: I like giving people very strong emotions. Like in school and last year, we had, like, this Halloween event and you were acting and my character was, like, a deranged doctor and scaring all the little S1 and S2s, which is like 12- and 13-year- olds. And that was really, really fun.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

A: Hopefully on the stage one day.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.










Today's News

April 7, 2024

When the Rubin Museum was divine

A 'Taxi Driver' remix recasts the climax

Kasmin opens an exhibition in homage to the acclaimed French sculptors Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne

Longtime journalist Bob Schieffer bares his soul in a new art exhibition

Documentary filmmaker explores Japan's rigorous education rituals

The unstoppables: Sharing the secrets of a lifelong career

Women who made art in Japanese internment camps are getting their due

Phaidon to release The Andy Warhol Catalogue Raisonné, Volume 6

On April 21, a secret vault opens at Turner Auctions + Appraisals

Judd Foundation announces 'Robert Irwin' at 101 Spring Street

Fondazione ICA Milano presents 'Ritratto di città 20/20.000Hz' at Centre Pompidou-Metz

The Contemporary Jewish Museum announces artist list and modified exhibition plans for the California Jewish Open

Major Hiroshi Shimizu film retrospective in NYC in May 2024

Making films about outsiders, increasingly in the mainstream

A niche Indian actress is thrust into Hollywood's spotlight

'Zone of Interest' Oscars speech is defended by Jewish film artists

Petersen Automotive Museum's newest exhibit showcases unique concept cars and artwork

Lynne Reid Banks, author of 'The Indian in the Cupboard,' dies at 94

A Willy Wonka event ended in disaster. From its ashes rose a budding star.

Howard Atlee, showman who promoted dramas and dogs, dies at 97

The Allure of Chance: How Casino Games Captivate Korean Audiences

Elevate Your Business with Strausberg Group's Expertise

Natural Ways for Burning Fats and Creating a Toned Physique

"Shuyi Qi's 'Embrace': A Compelling Environmental Message Shines at the 2024 ART CAPITAL International Salon in Paris"

Fidelis Joseph: Art Through the Waves of Change




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Houston Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง
Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful