16-Year-Old Actress from Disastrous Willy Wonka Event Gets Guest Role at the London Dungeon

A Scottish teenager who worked as one of the actors during February's disastrously viral Willy Wonka-themed experience is capitalizing on the opportunity.

On Friday, April 5, The New York Times published an interview with 16-year-old Felicia Dawkins, who gained internet recognition after revealing herself as the actor who played the character "The Unknown" at "Willy's Chocolate Experience," a Willy Wonka-themed event produced by the London-based company House of Illuminati that went viral for under-delivering on its promises and scaring children who attended with their families.

Dawkins first shared a TikTok video revealing herself as "The Unknown" — a character who appeared at the event wearing a black robe and silver mask — on March 1. A subsequent "face reveal" video she shared on March 3 has been viewed 2.4 million times on the social media app.

One month later, Dawkins is getting a chance to perform again after the London Dungeon, an interactive theatrical attraction in London, announced in March that it invited the teenager to train with its actors and perform in one of its shows on April 7.

Dawkins, who told The Times she will likely perform at the Dungeon as "The Unknown" once more, was cast in the Wonka-themed event after one of the organizers "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," she said. "And they’ve seen me before, because I go to theater school here as well."

“Everything led to her getting all of this, all these opportunities,” her mother, Janet Dawkins, told the outlet about her daughter's experiences since February's event. “So, I can’t really say that I’m mad about anything that went down, if I’m honest.”

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Dawkins also credited her family with helping her manage the internet fame she has received for playing "The Unknown," saying, "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."

When it comes to the February event, Dawkins told The Times that she was paid £250 (roughly $315) out of a promised £500 (roughly $630) for playing "The Unknown." She recalled, "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," she continued.

She also told the outlet that scripts given to actors for the event were "A.I.-generated," echoing criticisms from two other actors who participated in the event. "Most of it didn’t even make sense. So it was harder for me to learn, so I just had to improvise it," she explained.

The event's creator, Billy Coull, has since apologized for his role in the experience, writing on Facebook, “I understand the disappointment and frustration this has caused, and for that, I am truly sorry.”

Dawkins, meanwhile, ended the interview by telling the outlet that she would like to continue acting. "I’m so, so excited," she said of the opportunity to perform for at the London Dungeon, adding that looking ahead she hopes to see herself "on the stage one day."