Two performers caught up in the furore over the now infamous Willy Wonka Chocolate Experience in Glasgow last weekend said they felt “overwhelmed” by the response on social media.
Kirsty Paterson and Jenny Fogarty were hired to play Oompa Loompas at the experience, and have told BBC that they “had no idea what they were walking into” when they agreed to play the roles.
Paterson, 29, who was named the “sad Oompa Loompa” on social media, wanted to remind everyone that she was “just a normal person” doing a job.
Stream local 7NEWS free on 7plus
“We are just normal people, I can’t believe this has happened,” she told BBC Scotland.
“When we took the job, we had no idea what we were walking into.
“You just have to throw yourself in and play the character. We just had fun with it, that’s all you can do.
“We turned up on the Friday — bearing in mind we had already signed a contract by this point — we looked at the scene, and it was just bizarre.
“We really tried our best.”
Fellow Oompa Loompa Jenny Fogarty, 25, added that “we just decided to do the best we could, given the circumstances”.
“We are experienced working with children, so we were just trying to make it as fun as possible for them.”
Paterson said some of the criticism went too far.
“I’ve got incredibly thick skin, and I’m always happy to make a joke of myself, but I think it did get a bit too much for me when it was out of my control,” Paterson said.
“People were slagging off my looks and everything else.”
Those who attended the event in Glasgow, Scotland, were promised “extraordinary props, oversized lollipops, and a paradise of sweet treats” — all promoted with dreamlike, candy-coloured images on its website.
But when ticket holders arrived, instead found a sparsely decorated warehouse with nothing resembling the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory franchise the event invoked in its advertising.
The event’s website said it had no official affiliation with Warner Bros., which owns the rights to the Willy Wonka character.
The event was hosted by the London-based event company House of Illuminati, which was incorporated just three months ago, according to the UK government agency Companies House.
It describes itself as “a realm where fantasy and reality converge to create unparalleled immersive experiences”.
The company didn’t respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
In the hours after the event’s abrupt cancellation, House of Illuminati posted a now-deleted statement on its Facebook page promising to return attendees’ money.
“Today has been a very stressful and frustrating day for many and for that we are truly sorry,” the company said.
“Unfortunately last minute we were let down in many areas of our event and tried our best to continue on and push through and now realise we probably should have cancelled first thing this morning instead.
“We fully apologise for what has happened and will be giving full refunds to each and every person that purchased tickets.”
The company also said it would not hold any future events.