I Want It Now!: A Memoir of Life on the Set of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

I have fond memories of the original "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" -- the trippy but creative visuals, the cast of bratty kids and their equally bratty parents, the enigmatic and eccentric Willy Wonka himself, and of course the delightful musical numbers. The film has become as much of a classic as the original novel, and even if Roald Dahl wasn't entirely happy with the final product (enough so that he denied the producers the rights to film the sequel), there's no denying that it has touched generations of kids. Not just those who watched it, but the five children who brought life to the five lucky golden-ticket winners -- the poor but kindly Charlie Bucket, the greedy Augustus Gloop, the gum-chewing motormouth Violet Beauregard, the television-obsessed Mike Teevee, and of course the spoiled brat Veruca Salt... whose actress, Julie Cole, decided to share her own experiences making the movie by writing this memoir.While Julie's memoir is, understandably, largely limited to the parts of the filming she experienced herself, it's still a fascinating account on the making of a childhood classic, and gives us a look at the joys and pains of creating a film, especially through the eyes of a young actress.Julie describes her upbringing as the child of a single mother (acknowledging that her childhood was far more similar to Charlie Bucket's than Veruca Salt's), and how her family struggled to make ends meet. She also shares her early passion for acting, from participating in local theater productions to attending a prestigious acting school, where she managed to land the coveted role of Veruca Salt. She talks about filming in Germany, about being homesick and missing her family, and about celebrating her thirteenth birthday on the set. She had the opportunity to meet and befriend some big names among the cast -- Gene Wilder, John Albertson, Roy Kinnear, and even Roald Dahl himself -- and she has some pretty candid observations regarding her fellow child actors -- Mike's actor was a brat on set, Augustus' actor spent most of his time alone due to not speaking English, and both Julie and Violet's actress both had crushes on Charlie's actor. Julie also shares what became of her after the film -- her other roles in TV, film, and on stage, as well as her eventual careers as a fitness instructor and a psycho-analyst... as well as attending conventions and seeing how her role as Veruca affected a generation of kids.Julie's memoir is by no means a comprehensive "making of" expose of the film, but it's great to see an insider's view of the making of the film. She's honest but never mean-spirited in sharing her observations of the others, and even issues an apology a time or two for sharing an especially candid moment regarding the film. It's obvious that behind the brat that is Veruca, there's a sweet girl (now woman) with a big heart and a strong appreciation for how this film has changed her life and the lives of others. It almost makes me want to meet her myself.The book also includes plenty of photographs, both from Julie's life and behind-the-scenes photos from the making of the film. I always appreciate it when a non-fiction book includes photos and pictures, as it adds to the experience for me. The photos made reading the book a bit awkward on my Kindle, but that's a flaw of my machine and not of the book itself.A note for those reading this on the Kindle -- the last quarter of the book is taken up by an index. The index seems a bit unnecessary to me and fools the reader into thinking the book is longer than it is, so take that into account when you download this book.The making of movies is always fascinating to me, especially when it's a movie that I enjoyed as a child and is close to my heart. Julie's account reveals all-new facets of the movie for me, and gives me the urge to watch it again. Though I must wonder what Julie thought of the Johnny Depp remake of the movie... perhaps that's another tale for another time?

I enjoyed this quick, light read. Veruca Salt is the most memorable character in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! She is also the most fun to imitate! Growing up I saw Willy Wonka a handful of times (having read the book first), but as a teenager in the 90s, I babysat some kids who were obsessed with the movie and wanted to watch it all the time! In a month-long period, I saw it over ten times! Following this,, I didn't see it for many years, but a few weeks ago, my husband and I were in the waiting room at the doctor's office and this movie was playing. As each line was said, my brain would supply the next line before the characters could say them, showing me that this movie was in my long-term memory! It's a slightly unsettling story, but it's endearing too. Julie Dawn's memoirs about her experience on set were a lot of fun. It is a first-hand account of what was important to her, rather than a tell-all about every aspect of the making of the film.

I want an Oompa Loompa NOW!Veruca Salt was always my favorite Dahl character simply because she wanted EVERYTHING.And I don't see anything wrong with that.I was an only child who wanted everything. Was I spoiled? I don't think so. For years, I asked for a pet lamb every birthday and Christmas, and I NEVER got one, so obviously, my parents didn't give me EVERYTHING I asked for...Julie Dawn Cole, who breathed life into the character of Veruca Salt for the 1971 film 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory', paints a magical view of paradise during the filming of this beloved movie. Packed with photos, and good natured behind-the-scenes gossip, it's a fun, very light-weight read.We learn that the boy who played Augustus Gloop spoke no English and didn't get to pal around with the other kids on the set. There was a rivalry with Denise Nickerson, who played Violet Beauregarde, over the affections of Peter Ostrum, the handsome young actor who played Charlie Bucket. (Ostrum, in case you're wondering, left acting after his one starring role, and is now a veterinarian in New York State.) Paris Themmon, who played Mike Teevee, was a bit of a troublemaker, leading Gene Wilder, when asked about working with the children during an interview, to quip, "Ah, four of them are fantastic, and one of them I'm going to shoot in the head tomorrow."Unlike most films, Willy Wonka was shot almost chronologically, and the young actors were kept from viewing the magnificent "Chocolate Room" until the cameras were rolling, so the awed expressions you see on their faces are "genuine and unscripted."Cole got to meet author Roald Dahl, who told her the origin of the name "Veruca." He said that warts are horrible things, Veruca was a "wart of a girl," and the nastiest place to get warts was on your foot;hence "Veruca."Unlike her character, Cole was not fond of chocolate and having to eat so much of the "runny-textured chocolate gloop" made her ill.In the years after "Wonka," Cole appeared on British television, had children, worked as a voice-over actress and a fitness instructor, before heading back to school to become a psychotherapist. (Whew! This is what can happen if you're NOT sitting at home eating bonbons.)If there's a special place in your heart for this movie and/or the book it's based upon, you should enjoy this trip through the pure imagination to be found in these pages.

I had never seen any of the Willie Wonka books. I got this bio, and after finishing it I bought both versions of Willie Wonka. My conclusion.....the original is a better story...the new one is more "entertaining".As for the book I found it fascinating and an easy comfortable read.

Having picked this up as a free download a couple of years ago, I was finally prompted to read it following the sad death of Gene Wilder.Julie Dawn Cole takes us from surprisingly fraught childhood in Surrey, to a successful acting career; but the focus is firmly on the legendary Ronald Dahl adaptation, during the filming of which, in Germany, she celebrated her 13th birthday. We learn of jerry-built special effects, teenage crushes, and, a grumpy director aside, harmonious relations with everyone involved, particularly Gene Wilder and Roy Kinnear.The writers give us plenty of Hollywood context, as well as outlining the film's progress from commercial disappointment to cult classic. The storytelling is slightly gushing, as might be expected, but Ms Cole's affection for the experience of being Veruca Salt is infectious.One slight criticism is that the captions beneath the impressive collection of photographs tends to be overly repetitive of information contained within the main text.On the whole, though, this is an effortlessly likeable read.

In an age of the LOOK AT ME "celebrity" biography, this book comes as a true breath of fresh air.Julie Dawn Cole was a child actress from a modest background in suburban England when she was selected to play the rather vile Veruca Salt in "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and this is as much the story of the film as it is her story. We trace her route to the auditions, through her love of the theatre inherited from her mother, and how difficult it was for her to play a character so very different to her actual personality.The reader gets an excellent insight into the making of this film, remembered so fondly by many. It was a real challenge in a lot of ways - as much for the actors as for the production - and Julie Dawn really made me feel like I was there, through liberal use of anecdotes, photos and letters back home. It's clear that this was a bit of a lonely time for a young girl, despite having filming and rehearsals every day and schooling. She missed her family, and there are few who couldn't identify with that. It was nice to read how they all bonded, and the on-screen parents carried on that role off-screen.I won't give anything away about the film itself. Julie Dawn does then trace her career after the film and answers the age-old question, did they ever see each other again. In all, a rather good read, despite a couple of OCR errors in the Kindle edition and many Americanisms.

I downloaded this a freebie and once I started reading it I was hooked. Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca in Willy Wonka) wrote about the time she spent making the original Willy Wonka film and her experiences on set.This isn't a tell all book and there are no scandals or tales of arguments with cast members which are common in the majority of biographies today instead this is just a sweet book telling of Julie's time in Munich filming Willy Wonka.There are a lot of lovely photos included most of which Julie took herself on set. As Julie's mother was unable to get time off work to accompany her daughter on the shoot Julie had a chaporone while in Munich and so also included in the book are copies of postcards and letters that she wrote home to her mum and sister. My only complaint about these is that in a printed book they would have been fine but on the kindle version they are too small to be able to read and even though I changed the font size to it's maximum I still couldn't read them so was a bit disapppointed as I'm sure they would have been interesting to read.The book touches briefly on what Julie did later in her career but mainly focuses on her time in the film.Overall a very good read and one of the best freebies I've had in a while.

Being able to remember Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory being on TV virtually every Bank Holiday when I was growing up and therefore having it indelibly ingrained into my innate geekiness, this was a bit of a must-read. Especially as a Kindle freebie!It's a fun, light, entertaining view of Julie Dawn Cole's experiences during the making of the film and a potted history of her subsequent career and life.Every page exudes nostalgia for the film and the only question I'm left with is "Is the film on TV over Easter as I need to watch it again now?"