Bradley Ford was 11 years old when he starred in a commercial for the chocolate giant, now 26, he has revealed how he landed the role – and reprises the role on TikTok.
The minute-long ad saw Bradley and co-star Georgia Wake frantically twirl their eyebrows to Don’t Stop the Rock in front of a gray backdrop.
The ad subsequently became one of the most popular in the UK, racking up 4 million views on YouTube in its first three weeks, beating the chocolate firm’s previous successful ad – which featured a gorilla playing drums on Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight. .
Thanks to the popularity of the ad, Bradley revealed that people have been stopping him in the months since and asking him if he’s the “eyebrow baby”.
@the_eyebrow_kid Answering @Britney Ford What do you think 🤨 @CadburyUK #cadbury #eyebrowkid #fyp #foryou #viral ♬ original sound – The Eyebrow Kid 🍫
He then went on to have small roles in Doctor Who, Law And Order: UK and Gulliver’s Travels with Jack Black.
And he recently published TikTok, which 15 years later recreated his side of the popular video – which has received more than 2 million views.
The boy from the Cadbury eyebrow ad has recreated it – after 15 years
Bradley, now a video editor and painter and decorator from Chelsea, west London, said: “When I was younger, from about eight years old, I went to a private drama school.
“They had their own agency and I was sent to a lot of auditions. I knew it was for Cadbury but I didn’t know what I was doing.”
“They just said ‘move your eyebrows for the camera’ – and that was it!
“Before the commercial, I didn’t know I was going to do eyebrows, so I didn’t know I had eyebrow talent, and apparently it was good enough because I went to four downloads!
“Before I knew it, I got the part.
“A few days before the shoot we were trying to get a certain look to look like school kids – I was only 11 at the time so it was a great opportunity for me.
“In the beginning they told us to wiggle our eyebrows to the beat of the music.
“They had something to look at when we had to turn our heads, but by the end our faces were completely cringing when they told us to go for it!”
Despite his clear talent for wiggling his eyebrows, Bradley refused to be drawn on whether any editing enhancements had been made.
“I can’t spill the beans if it was edited or not – it’s magic,” he joked.
After the shoot, Bradley was given a box of Cadbury goodies and a stuffed gorilla from the previous ad.
Afterwards, he eagerly awaited the launch and said the first time he saw it was “surreal”.
@the_eyebrow_kid Responding to @cheesy.garlic.bread72 Got my own version of the Cadbury gorilla commercial 🦍 @CadburyUK #cadbury #eyebrowkid #cadburygorilla #fyp #foryou #viral #trending ♬ In the Air Tonight (2015) – Phil Collins Remaster
He said: “I was sent a care package of chocolate treats and treats that were just under half a meter long – every child’s dream to be honest!
“They also gave me the gorilla toy from the ad. If I remember correctly, I knew it was coming out during the Big Brother commercial break, so we sat and waited.
“I always find myself cringing when I look back, but I’ve learned to adapt! Even though it was surreal. It was seen by a lot of people. It was bizarre.”
“Then random people started noticing me. People were asking me if I was the kid from the ad – not anymore!”
Bradley said his friends still “embarrass him” and call him the “Cadbury kid”.
He said: “I don’t usually bring it up, but my friends always embarrass me! It was an ad in 2009.
“I actually met my girlfriend Shannon through a mutual friend and ended up spilling the beans to her.
“She didn’t think much of it then, but now she finds it bizarre!”
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Bradley went viral again this week when he recreated the iconic eyebrow-for-eyebrow TikTok ad – and he says he’d love to recreate it with Georgia.
He added: “I’m still in touch with the girl in the video. We don’t message each other much, but we do have social contact with each other.”
“I’d love to get back together and remake the ad – maybe Cadbury should do a Christmas special!”