Harry Potter Star Warns Against Obsessive Fan Culture

Harry Potter is arguably one of the most famous franchises of all time, spanning across a best-selling book series, films, theme parks, and more. In the years since the franchise officially wrapped up, it has still been kept alive by its passionate fandom, but it sounds like some might have a different outlook on all of that. On a recent appearance on the Talking Tastebuds podcast, franchise star Evanna Lynch reflected on the "dangerous" side of being a Harry Potter superfan. Lynch, who portrayed Luna Lovegood in the franchise's last four films, revealed that her own personal connection to the franchise had some awkward side effects.

"I was a really obsessive Harry Potter fan," Lynch explained. "I started reading them when I was about eight, and that was just my whole identity for a while. It's quite embarrassing... I found that the whole fan culture... I think is a bit unhealthy, you know being obsessed with a person. Because when I met Daniel [Radcliffe], Emma [Watson] and Rupert [Grint], I kind of knew everything about them. I knew their pets' names, I knew their birthdays, I knew their parents' names and I had to pretend [I didn't]."

"Being an obsessive fan is kind of disempowering – it happens when you're a teenager, you're so insecure and you're trying to find yourself," Lynch continued. "You see these other people and they seem great and amazing and godly."

Lynch also detailed her personal experience on the flip side of that, revealing that she ignores fans who'll suggest they're "'best friends but she just doesn't know it yet'".

"I don't think it's healthy," Lynch revealed. "I just think fan culture is kind of dangerous and you can kind of lose yourself in it."

While Lynch's experience obviously doesn't reflect all of fan culture in the Potter fandom and beyond, there definitely is some truth to her sentiment. Some of the actress' co-stars have even acknowledged the complication that comes with being at the center of such a passionate fandom. Daniel Radcliffe, who portrayed Harry Potter himself, revealed in an interview earlier this year that he struggled with alcoholism towards the end of filming the franchise.

"A lot of drinking that happened towards the end of Potter and for a little bit after it finished, it was panic, a little bit not knowing what to do next – not being comfortable enough in who I was to remain sober," Radcliffe explained.

What do you think of Evanna Lynch's comments regarding fan culture? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!