Bradley Ford was 11 years old when he starred in the chocolate giant’s ad. Now 26, he has revealed how he came to star – and reprized the role on TikTok.
The one-minute ad saw Bradley and co-star Georgia Wake frantically wiggling their eyebrows to the song Don’t Stop the Rock in front of a gray background.
The advert went on to become one of the most popular adverts in Britain, generating four million YouTube views in its first three weeks, eclipsing the chocolate company’s previous successful advert, which featured a gorilla playing the drums to Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight. .
Thanks to the ad’s popularity, Bradley revealed that in the following months, people would stop and ask him if he was the “eyebrow child”.
@the_eyebrow_kid Reply to @Britney Ford What do you think 🤨 @CadburyUK #cadbury #eyebrowkid #fyp #foryou #viral ♬ original sound – The Eyebrow Kid 🍫
He subsequently played small roles in Doctor Who, Law And Order: UK and Gulliver’s Travels with Jack Black.
And more recently, he posted a TikTok recreating his side of the popular video 15 years later – which has racked up more than 2 million views.
The kid from the Cadbury eyebrow ad has recreated it, 15 years later
Bradley, now a video editor and painter and decorator from Chelsea, west London, said: “I went to a private theater school when I was under about eight years old.
“They had their own agency and I was sent to loads of auditions. I knew it was for Cadbury but I didn’t know what I was doing.
“They just said ‘wiggle your eyebrows for the camera’ – and that was it!
“Before the ad, I didn’t know I would wiggle my eyebrows, so I didn’t know I had an eyebrow talent and it was clearly good enough because I went to four recalls!
‘Before I knew it, I had landed the role.
“Before filming, we spent a few days trying to get the certain look on school kids – I was only 11 at the time, so it was a great opportunity for me.
“At first they told us to move our eyebrows to the rhythm of the music.
“They had points to watch when we had to turn our heads, but by the end our faces were completely screwed up when they told us to go for it!”
Despite his obvious talent for wiggling eyebrows, Bradley refused to question whether any editing improvements had been made.
“I can’t tell if it’s edited or not – it’s magical,” he joked.
After filming, Bradley was given a box of Cadbury goodies and a stuffed gorilla from the previous advert.
He then eagerly awaited the launch, saying the first time he saw it was “surreal.”
@the_eyebrow_kid Reply to @cheesy.garlic.bread72 I have my own version of the Cadbury gorilla ad 🦍 @CadburyUK #cadbury #eyebrowkid #cadburygorilla #fyp #foryou #viral #trending ♬ In the Air Tonight (2015 Remaster) – Phil Collins
He said: “They sent me a care package with chocolate treats and treats measuring just under half a meter long – honestly every child’s dream!
“They also gave me a toy gorilla from that ad. If I remember correctly, I knew it was going to be released during a Big Brother commercial break and we sat down and waited.
“When I see myself again I always find myself cringing, but I’ve learned to adapt to it! It was surreal though. A lot of people saw it. It was bizarre.
“Then I started getting noticed by random people. People asked if I was the kid from the ad – not anymore!”
Bradley said his friends still “embarrass” him and call him “the Cadbury boy”.
He said: “I don’t normally talk about it but my friends always embarrass me! It was an ad from 2009.
“I actually met my girlfriend, Shannon, through a mutual friend and he ended up spilling the beans to her.
“She didn’t think much about it at the time, but now she thinks it’s bizarre!”
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Bradley went viral again this week when he recreated the iconic TikTok advert, eyebrow by eyebrow – and says he’d love to make it with Georgia too.
He added: “I am still in contact with the girl in the video. We don’t post much, but we have each other’s social media.
“I’d love to get back together and remake the ad – maybe Cadbury should do a Christmas special!”