Bradley Ford was 11 years old when he starred in the chocolate giant’s commercial; the now 26-year-old has revealed how he got the role – and replayed the role on TikTok.
The one-minute commercial featured Bradley and co-star Georgia Wake wildly wiggling their eyebrows to the song “Don’t Stop the Rock” against a gray background.
The advert went on to become one of the most popular commercials in the UK, reaching 4 million views on YouTube in its first three weeks, surpassing the chocolate maker’s previous successful advert, which featured a gorilla playing drums along to Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight”.
Bradley revealed that in the months that followed, due to the popularity of the ad, people would stop and ask him if he was the “eyebrow kid.”
@the_eyebrow_kid replies to @Britney Ford. What do you think? 🤨 @CadburyUK #cadbury #eyebrowkid #fyp #foryou #viral ♬ Original sound – The Eyebrow Kid 🍫
He then played small roles in “Doctor Who”, “Law and Order: UK” and “Gulliver’s Travels with Jack Black”.
And he recently posted a TikTok recreating his version of the popular video 15 years later — which has garnered more than 2 million views.
The boy from the Cadbury eyebrow advert recreated it – 15 years later
Bradley, now a video editor and painter and decorator from Chelsea, west London, said: “I went to a private drama school as a child, from about the age of eight.”
“They had their own agency and I was sent to numerous 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 commercial, I didn’t know I was going to move my eyebrows. So I didn’t know I had a talent for eyebrows and it was obviously good enough because I went to four callbacks!
“Before I knew it, I had landed the role.
“We spent a few days before filming trying to get a certain look that looked like school children. I was only 11 at the time, so it was a great opportunity for me.”
“At the beginning they told us to wiggle our eyebrows to the beat of the music.
“They had points for us to pay attention to when we had to turn our heads, but towards the end our faces completely contorted when they told us to do it!”
Despite his obvious talent for wiggling his eyebrows, Bradley declined to comment on whether any editing improvements were made.
“I can’t reveal whether it’s edited or not – it’s magic,” he joked.
After filming, Bradley received a box of Cadbury treats and a plush gorilla from the previous commercial.
He then waited anxiously for the launch and said it was “surreal” when he saw it for the first time.
@the_eyebrow_kid reply to @cheesy.garlic.bread72 Got my own version from the Cadbury Gorilla advert 🦍 @CadburyUK #cadbury #eyebrowkid #cadburygorilla #fyp #foryou #viral #trending ♬ In the Air Tonight (2015 Remaster) – Phil Collins
He said: “They sent me a care package of chocolate treats and sweets that was almost two feet long – honestly every child’s dream!”
“They also gave me a gorilla toy from that advert. If I remember correctly, I knew it was going to be released during a Big Brother advert break and we sat down and waited.
“When I look back at it, I still cringe, but I’ve learned to adapt! It was surreal though. Tons of people saw it. It was bizarre.
“Then I started getting noticed by random people. People asked if I was the kid from the commercial – not anymore!”
Bradley said his friends still “embarrassed” him and called him “the Cadbury kid”.
He said: “I don’t usually talk about it, but my friends always embarrass me! It was an advert from 2009.
“I actually met my girlfriend Shannon through a mutual friend and in the end he told her everything.
“She didn’t think much of it at the time, but now she finds it bizarre!”
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Bradley went viral again this week when he recreated the iconic TikTok commercial “Eye for an Eyebrow” — and says he would love to recreate it with Georgia, too.
He added: “I’m still in touch with the girl in the video. We don’t message each other that much, but we use each other’s social media.”
“I’d love to get back together and redo the advert – maybe Cadbury should do a Christmas special!”