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Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory at Redford Theatre in Detroit Featuring Charlie Bucket and Mike Teavee, LIVE
Enter a world of pure imagination March 8-9, 2013 – and meet two of the movie's kid stars! Here, read Metro Parent's exclusive Q&A with Peter Ostrum, who played Charlie and appears at the event.
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You can finally end your search for the Golden Ticket, because they're now available for all. Children of all ages – parents, too – can enter the wonderful world of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory March 8-9, 2013 at the Redford Theatre in Detroit, complete with live, in-person appearances by two of the kids who starred in the 1971 flick: Paris Themmen, who was the rambunctious Mike Teavee, and Peter Ostrum – Charlie Bucket himself!
Metro Parent was thrilled to chat up Ostrum before his center-stage appearance in an exclusive Q&A (which appears just below). The New York dad and veterinarian is excited to meet the crowds at the unique historic Redford Theatre movie house. Granted, the walls aren't edible here – but you and the kids can munch on some house-made popcorn as you sit back and watch this cult classic come to life – literally. Tickets to the film are $5, and the guys will autograph customer-provided items for $20 (cash only).
Times for this delightfully sweet event are as follows:
- Friday, March 8: 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show
- Saturday, March 9: noon doors, 1 p.m. show
- Saturday, March 9: 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show
Autographs are signed in the lobby prior to the show and during intermission.
The Redford Theatre is located at 17360 Lahser Road in Detroit. Get full Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory details in the Metro Parent listing.
Metro Parent's Exclusive Q&A with Peter Ostrum, aka Charlie Bucket
Before you head to this event, check out Metro Parent's one-on-one with the film's very own Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum)! Get the low-down on where Charlie – I mean, Peter – is now, what being a child film star was like and a behind-the-scenes look at what the set of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was like.
How old were you when you starred in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory?
Twelve, and then I turned 13 during the filming. I got to Germany probably in the third week in August. My birthday is Nov. 1.
What was being an actor at such a young age like?
Well, I was a rookie. I had had some theater experience in Cleveland through the Cleveland Play House Children's Theater. I had not done any film work, nor any television commercials – just theater work since I was about 8 or 9 years old. The other cast members, they had had more theater work, more film work, more television work than I had. They were established; I was not.
Did you ever expect that the film would become so well known?
No, none of us had any idea. It's what, 40 years later, and we're still talking about it and people are still interested; it's amazing. When it first came out, it didn't have any following at all. It had kind of lukewarm reviews and died kind of a quiet death. It wasn't till video, and then when DVDs came out, that the film really caught on again. Parents kind of rediscovered it for their children, and now grandparents are rediscovering it for their grandchildren, so it's kind of been passed on from generation to generation. We had no idea that it would be successful. It was the perfect storm.
How did being in the film change your life as a child?
It instilled work ethic. We were children, but we were all expected basically to work as professional actors. That really stayed with me. Maybe I was a hard worker beforehand, but it made a big impression on me. I didn't follow through in the film industry, but with what I do now as a veterinarian, (the work ethic) definitely carried over to school.
What made you want to become a veterinarian and take that route in life?
After the film, I worked with horses at a stable and really enjoyed working outdoors. A good friend I had was an equine veterinarian, and it just looked like he was having so much fun doing what he was doing. And I said, "Boy, that looks like something I'd like to do." It was tough to get into school, so I just put it on the backburner – but still always had in the back of my mind. I took a year off between high school and college, and that really cemented that that was what I wanted to do, and then I pursued it. It's a great career. I like working outdoors; I travel from farm to farm. There's a mental aspect where you've got to be smart and figure things out, but there's a physical aspect to the job that I really like, as well. For me, it's the perfect job. Plus, you get to act a little bit, too.
