It is often hard to be a young actor in movies, and this has been proven in the Harry Potter franchise, as several young stars have reacted to the stress, bullying, and humiliation after appearing in the series. Based on the J.K. Rowling novels, the main trio remains beloved to this day, but there are several other actors who appeared in the series who have said they faced bullying and often racist behavior from people in the real world, thanks to their performances in the films. One of the people who has recently spoken up about the negative fan reaction is Katie Leung.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Katie Leung played Cho Chang in the last five Harry Potter movies, and she has spoken out about the devastating impact of bullying in the real world after she appeared in the movie. In an interview with The Guardian, Leung said she struggled with the fact that so many people lashed out at her, making racial comments following her introduction into the series.
Leung, who was 18 when her first movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was released, and was 24 when the final movie hit theaters, said that she made the mistake of going online to look at reactions to her performance. “It was overwhelming from the get-go. Being in the spotlight from that age, when you’re already insecure, was difficult, to say the least,” Leung said. While shooting the movies, she said she was having fun, but then when she Googled her name, she saw the other side of fame.
“I don’t know if anything could have been done back then to make things better or easier,” the actress said. “At that age, you’re curious. I remember being very curious about what people were saying about me, and I was Googling myself. Nobody could have stopped me, because I was old enough to make up my own mind.” What she found were racial and hurtful comments left by total strangers online. “I think it just sat with me, and it affected me in ways like, ‘Oh yeah, I made that decision because people were saying this about me.’ It probably made me less outgoing. I was very self-aware of what was coming out of my mouth.”
Many of the complaints came thanks to the kiss she shared with Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It also happened in the books, but this resulted in media coverage that brought out a lot of racists who lashed out online. There were even several websites created to simply sling hate at the actress. Leung said that she was told by her publicists at the time to deny any knowledge of what was happening, even though she was highly aware of the backlash.
Harry Potter Actress Believes She Would Never Get Anything Better
Katie Leung said that she felt this was going to be the best she would ever achieve. “I remember coming out of it and thinking, ‘Nothing’s going to beat it,’ because it was so successful. I remember being lost, going, ‘What’s next?’” she remembered. “People will have these high expectations of me topping it, and it’s never going to happen.’ I think I was so afraid of meeting these expectations that I gave up, or didn’t give myself the chance, after it, to try and continue acting.”
The good news is that she did come out of it on the other side. Leung said she tried to overcompensate at times, but she has reached a point in her life where she can turn things off when she isn’t working and live a normal life with her family. The good news is that she has found something that night that is not as big as Harry Potter, but it is still a monumental project. She plays Lady Araminta Gun in the upcoming season of Bridgerton.
Leung joins the list of other high-profile Harry Potter “kids” who went on to have nice Hollywood careers, and beyond. Daniel Radcliffe has enjoyed success in movies and stage plays since he played the Boy Wizard, Emma Watson has had some impressive roles, with Beauty and the Beast a huge success, and Rupert Grint has enjoyed television success on shows like Servant and The ABC Murders. Tom Felton was part of the Planet of the Apes reboot. Of course, Robert Pattinson debuted in the same film as Leung, and he has had one of the best careers of all, moving on to Twilight and now starring in the Batman franchise.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Courtesy of STUDIO EEK -
Courtesy of Shueisha -
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
