Supplied; Julian Dolman
IN SHORT
- Kirsty Paterson was working as an actress when she went for a role at a Willy Wonka family experience
- The disappointing production made news headlines for all the wrong reasons
- Then a hilarious photo of Kirsty looking downcast on the job went viral
- She was turned into a meme, but by embracing it, her life has changed in unexpected ways
- Eventually, Netflix called with an offer!
- Here Kirsty, 32, who lives in Melbourne, Vic, shares her story
Walking into a warehouse filled with a few giant candy props, I frowned in confusion.
I’d responded to an audition for circus performers, excited to show off my fire-twirling act.
Instead, I’d stepped into a very run-down version of a chocolate factory.
“We’re putting on a Willy Wonka family experience here in Glasgow tomorrow,” a producer told me. “We’d like you to be an Oompa Loompa.”
The production cost $66 a ticket and the invitations promised a candy-themed fantasy world.
But the staging didn’t look complete, with sparse props and AI murals strewn around the perimeter.
I just assumed more would be added overnight to satisfy the ticketholders.
It was 2024, I was 29, and as a trained actress, I knew I’d have no problem entertaining the kids.
So I took the job and that night, went home with a brown costume and a green wig. Then I read the script and quickly realised it was AI-generated.
It didn’t make sense, and had added a scary character called The Unknown, clad in a silver mask and black cloak.
What does this even mean? I thought, puzzled.
Next day, I returned to the warehouse and noticed little had changed on set.
It was dismal.
“Let’s make sure the kids have fun,” I told my castmates.
As families piled in, I could sense their massive disappointment.
People laughed, grizzled, and some kids cried in terror after seeing the ‘Unknown’ character.
I threw myself into the performance but before long, we were told to abandon the script and let people just wander around… not that there was much to see.
Soon, angry parents were demanding a refund, furious they didn’t get the magical experience they’d been promised.
Photos and videos of the event were posted online, and thousands of people commented on a picture of me as the sad Oompa Loompa.
It became a viral meme.
The photo captured me looking sad and run-down behind a desk with test tubes filled with candy.
She needs a facelift, one person commented.
She looks like a drug addict, said another.
It made national, then international news. None of us got paid what we’d been promised, and now we were facing backlash and ridicule.
Embracing the ‘Sad Oompa Loompa’
When I was invited to appear on Good Morning Britain, I went along to clear my name and show what I really looked like.
Wow, she’s actually beautiful, many commented when my segment was posted online.
That gave me confidence to stop hiding from the joke and own it instead.
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I created an Insta account, @scottishoompaloompa, and donned the costume and green wig, making silly skits and sharing more about the woman behind the meme.
In January 2025, I moved to Australia, where I had amazing opportunities to work as a tour guide, travel, and collaborate with other creators, talking about my comedy and the experience of becoming a viral meme.
My Instagram grew to more than 32,000 followers and I appeared on talk shows, landed more acting gigs and was even nominated for a social media creator award.
After that, I thought my moment was over and I felt quite content with everything that had happened.
Then I got an email from a marketing agency.
They couldn’t tell me what it was about straight away, until I signed something.
Maybe it’s for a well-known candy company, I wondered.
Then I was told it was Netflix!
They were creating a new reality competition show, Wonka’s the Golden Ticket, where contestants competed inside a massive, recreated Willy Wonka chocolate factory.
A much more elaborate one than I appeared in back in 2024!
And they wanted me to feature in the promotional video.
“You’re joking me!” I blurted out. “This is the most amazing thing ever!”
We filmed the video ages ago and it was so exciting waiting for it to come out.
When it aired in September 2026, and I saw myself on TV, it was a dream come true.
I don’t think I could hit any higher than working with Netflix!
Although my viral moment was difficult at first, it’s opened many new doors.
By owning the joke, and being unapologetically myself, I turned an embarrassing moment into an incredible opportunity.
