Julie Dawn Cole

Julie Dawn Cole (born 26 October 1957) is an English actress. She began her career as a child performer in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, playing Veruca Salt. Raised in Guildford, Surrey, Cole was twelve when she was cast in the supporting role during the project's pre-production phase in the first half of 1970, which was filmed at the Bavaria Film Studios. The film debuted in New York City on 30 June 1971 and in London the following week, and Cole was chosen to present a bouquet of flowers to Princess Margaret at the Royal Premiere. She and Willy Wonka's other pre-adolescent "leading lady", American Denise Nickerson (Violet Beauregarde), both had crushes on Peter Ostrum (Charlie Bucket), also an American, and alternated days spending time with him while there were breaks in filming. The "I Want It Now" sequence was filmed on her 13th birthday and Cole was given three film props: a golden egg prop, a golden ticket, and an Everlasting Gobstopper. Although Cole actually sang the song "I Want It Now", she recorded her vocals in a music studio on a separate session and mimed to the track during filming. Cole has stated that her character in the film was based on a girl who attended the same boarding school she did.