Veruca Salt goes Global – meet actress Julie Dawn Cole

Jennie Carr

Julie Dawn ColeFrom screen star in the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to cycling across Cuba with Fern Britton, English actress Julie Dawn Cole has literally travelled the world over. Julie went on to star in a number of drama series and soap operas including BBC’s “The Borrowers” and ITV’s “The Tomorrow People.” She talks to Jennie Carr from Silver Travel Advisor about her travel experiences, including her inspirational charity rides with Fern Britton.

Can you remember your first flight? Julie Dawn told me about hers, which was to Munich in 1971, on the way to filming ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’.  She was 13 and had been cast as Veruca Salt in this now iconic movie. She recalled the mini salt and peppers sets, and the Marvel milk. This was swiftly followed by the discovery of duvets, rather than sheets and blankets. When I asked about Gene Wilder, she said he was kind and patient, with plenty of time for the young stars. Julie Dawn’s early starring role was just the first of many travels around the world for work. Last year was the 40th anniversary of the film, and Julie Dawn visited Chicago for the celebrations. It was an extraordinary experience she said, four shows a day for four days, totally sold out, attended sometimes by three generations of the same family, all word perfect throughout the movie. She’s back to Texas this spring to commemorate the film and publicise her book, I Want it Now! Chicago with Wonka kidsA Memoir of Life on the Set of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. And wait for this, Julie Dawn doesn’t really like chocolate!

I was fascinated by her stories of the British Airways Playhouse, a touring company headed up by the marvellous Derek Nimmo. The company existed to bring quality theatre to ex-pats abroad, Julie Dawn did two seasons (1983 & 1986) with the company, playing, on occasion Nimmo’s daughter on stage, visiting Jordan, Thailand and Guam, to name but a few. The plays were always staged in a large hotel, maybe the local Hilton or InterContinental. I have a vision of the fading empire existing through such plays, a kind of Margo and Jerry in warm climes. There must’ve been a very special magic in playing Private Lives in Singapore, where Noel Coward wrote it. Julie Dawn remembers Nimmo as being really passionate about travel, he would go anywhere and do anything, attributes she has undoubtedly picked up.

ChinaAnd travel is the thing, not so much holidays or tourism. We talked about getting under the skin of a place, something which Julie Dawn has had real experience of in China, travelling there in 2006 and 2010. The first trip was working as the fitness instructor with This Morning, mentoring three unfit viewers to ultimately complete the London Marathon. Part of their preparation was a half-marathon, partly along The Great Wall, and through traditional, rural villages. I asked about food, very important, and was told it is absolutely nothing like Chinese take-away in the UK, apparently they eat everything and anything, all quite beyond the traveller’s imagination.  Not so very scrumdidilyumptious. During the charity bike ride in 2010 with Fern Britton (she popped up a few times), Julie Dawn was fascinated by the hard, harsh landscape and climate, with an equally tough way of life in the countryside. She finally mastered the Mandarin for ‘freezing cold legs’ but not much more. Slightly more bizarrely, I heard about the Panda Girls, the cycling group of 7, who all wore locally bought panda hoods on The Great Wall. I wonder what the Mandarin for ‘weird English ladies who wear shorts and panda hoods’ is?  Fashionistas beware!

Fern and Julie in CubaJulie Dawn and Fern have cycled in Egypt, India and Cuba too. After the Cuban bike ride, the girls took a tour of all the bars Hemmingway was reputed to have frequented in Havana. Maybe more than one or two I suspect! They hired a 1952 white Oldsmobile convertible and driver, and had what Julie Dawn described as the wildest party ever. Not a panda hood in sight, instead glorious Cuban music to dance to.

5* hotel or tent I asked, Julie Dawn was quick to reply, either is fine.  What doesn’t work is a grim 2*, where the bottled water isn’t clean, which is sadly what happened in Jakarta. And Dehli wasn’t great either. Romantic anticipation has ruined a few trips to Paris, I think many of us know that feeling, although we both admitted the city is wonderful.

Would you visit a place that was first seen on a screensaver? Especially if it involved flying to Singapore, taking the train up country, a taxi to the jetty and finally a ferry to a tiny island, in Malaysia. Actually, you know, I might!  Julie Dawn told me the name of her secret location, never to be divulged, it does look incredible. And to think she first travelled there with her children nearly ten years ago, quite a mission by any reckoning. Needless to say, they have been back a few times. Cold legs in ChinaIt was here, diving, Julie Dawn and her daughter saw an all time wonder, a shoal of 25 or so bump head parrot fish (4’6” long, weighing about 6 stones, not beauty queens, hermaphrodite) chomping their way through the coral reef. Like a small cow, without legs, crossed with Bugs Bunny on steroids, she told me, munching away so loudly you could hear it. She was totally awe struck. And it is these coral munchers that actually produce the beautiful, pristine white sand we long to lie upon. Fish poo by any other name.

We chatted for ages. I wanted to know where Julie Dawn has on her ‘I’ve never been, let’s do it’ list, Venice for starters, up the Amazon, Machu Picchu (no good for bikes) and Kerala  in India. So despite buying Jimmy Choos in New York, kayaking in Alaska, training swimmers in the Virgin Islands and getting very close to great white sharks in South Africa, this globe-trotting mother of two, who was once Veruca Salt, still has places to go!

166 people found this helpful
17469

Share Article:

Jennie Carr

Silver Travel Advisor Creative and Communication Director, member of BGTW

Leave a comment

*

Sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest travel tips on top destinations.

Join the club

Become a member to receive exclusive benefits

Our community is the heart of Silver Travel Advisor, we love nothing more than sharing ideas, inspiration, hints and tips between us.

Most Recent Articles

Home to stunning landscapes, including the flamingo-populated salt lakes, the country offers the perfect overview of the Andes Mountains and…
Jane Wilson visits Seattle, the city renowned for its coffee, buzzing market place and Native American traditions….
Silver Travel Advisor writer Solange Hando discovered amazing wonders in Montenegro on the edge of the Balkans….

Come feel the love on a Princess cruise. You’ll enjoy the MedallionClass experience others simply can’t, and it’s exclusively for everyone. Visit incredible destinations and be involved in the best experiences around each one of them.

Experience more with Princess and connect effortlessly with the world around you, spend time away with loved ones, take a moment for yourself, and fall in love with your holiday of a lifetime, every time.

With over 20 years of experience, Wendy Wu Tours has mastered the art of creating exceptional, fully inclusive tours which showcase the very best of each destination.

Each tour is led by a world-class guide, who will highlight the very best of their homeland, and includes authentic cultural experiences so you are not just seeing the sights, but truly immersing yourself in local life.

Say hello to ease at sea. Ambassador’s purpose is simple: they want to inspire every guest to experience authentic cruising, effortlessly and sustainably. Passionate about protecting our oceans and destinations, their ships comply with the highest industry emission standards and there is no single-use plastic on board.

On your voyage, you will receive the warmest of welcomes from the Ambassador community as you sail upon the friendliest ships afloat.

This is a global co-operative co-owned by local partners using real local experts and guides, which supports local communities, environments and wildlife. It offers travellers quirky places to stay, activity holidays and learning experiences. Not In The Guidebooks gets travellers off the beaten track into local culture with day experiences and longer, immersive adventures.

From wild wellness breaks in Wales to painting in Portugal, sustainable adventures in Mauritius to food safaris in Brazil, this is immersive, exciting travel.

Seabourn’s five intimate ships carry guests to the heart of great cities, exclusive yacht harbours and secluded coves around the world, while two new purpose-built expedition ships will combine exhilarating adventures in remote destinations with the sophisticated amenities of the world’s finest resorts at sea.

From the luxury of all suite accommodations to complimentary fine wines and spirits, and a no tipping policy, Seabourn exemplifies the definition of travelling well.