The Willy Wonka-inspired event that police were called to in Glasgow.Photo:SWNS
SWNS
The woman who has gone viral for her portrayal of an Oompa Loompa-like character at theWilly Wonka eventin Scotland is speaking out about the disastrous experience.
Kirsty Paterson, 29, confirmed toVultureon Wednesday that she is the woman depicted in the photos that are currently circulating the internet from Saturday’s nightmare event at the Box Hub Warehouse in Glasgow.
Paterson said she was surprised to learn photos of her were spreading online, but she recognized herself right away.
“I’m not going to lie or sugarcoat this: This has been quite a lot for me,” Paterson said. “I find it funny and I can make a humorous joke about it, but the flip side of this is that this is embarrassing for what I do, and I hope this doesn’t tarnish that.”
When she isn’t working in children’s entertainment, Paterson said she is a yoga teacher and fire dancer, according toVulture. Children’s entertainment is “more of a side hustle” for her, so when she saw a related job posting on Indeed that promised to pay £500 (about $631) for two days of work, she jumped at the opportunity.
But Paterson claimed she still hasn’t been paid for her work, nor have the other actors contracted for the job. “So it’s like we’re kind of going through all this for nothing."
The Willy Wonka-inspired event that police were called to in Glasgow.Jenny Fogarty / SWNS
Jenny Fogarty / SWNS
Paul Connell, another actor who washired to work the event, toldThe Independentthat he was stunned to see the near-empty space when he arrived for the dress rehearsal on Friday, PEOPLE previously reported. He hoped the situation would be better the next day, but it was not.
Paterson said she was also “shocked” when she saw the state of the venue when she first arrived. “They said they were going to be working through the night or whatever, so I just assumed it was going to be a lot better,” she explained.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Both Paterson and Connell claimed to have received an AI-generated script for the event and were eventually encouraged to improvise. This was the first time Paterson had received a script the night before an event.
Some of the costumes were seemingly just as disastrous as the experience itself. Paterson felt her costume was “really cheaply made” and “so inappropriate” for a children’s event, according toVulture.
The actress did not know what she was wearing until the day of the event, either. “I was like, ‘I don’t know if I actually want to do this.’ But I’d signed the contract, and part of me didn’t want to disappoint the kids going to this,” she explained.
Paterson tried to “make the best” of the situation, but it was difficult. At one point, she was giving out just three jelly beans per person while standing at the table that the internet described as looking like a meth lab.
Still, Paterson felt “so guilty” for participating in the pitiful event. When an older couple suggested she should “get paid well for this,” Paterson responded, “I’m this close to walking out. This is not what I signed up for.”
House of Illuminati has not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“I’m laughing about it now, but I was so angry for the kids and the parents. I know people spent a lot of money coming here. It’s a disservice to what I do.”
source: people.com
