Katie Leung has opened up about the stark difference between her experience filming the Harry Potter franchise as a teenager and her more recent work on Bridgerton, and she’s clear about which era she prefers.
The actress, who played Cho Chang across five Harry Potter films beginning with Goblet of Fire in 2005, told Entertainment Tonight that she has no desire to return to that period of her life, not because it was a bad experience, but because of where she was personally at the time.
“I was so young at the time, and I was so easily influenced by what people would say about me because I didn’t know who I was,” she said.
“So I’ve come into Bridgerton having a really healthy focus on the work. I’m so glad I’m here. I would not want to go back to that time. Not because I had a bad time or anything, but it’s just really nice when you know who you are, and I’m still figuring that out, but I’m a bit closer.”
Leung, who recently appeared in Bridgerton as Lady Araminta Gun, elaborated further in a separate interview with Variety in February, reflecting on just how unprepared she was when she stepped onto the Harry Potter set for the first time.
“My first job, Harry Potter, I had never acted before in my life, and suddenly I was in front of 20 cameras and 100 people, completely lost, still figuring out who I was. I can’t say I had the time of my life.”
She contrasted that with her work on Bridgerton and Arcane, saying she felt like she genuinely “deserved” to be on those projects.
“I never questioned it. And once you stop questioning it, you can actually focus on bringing your best work.”
Part of what made the Harry Potter years difficult was the racism Leung encountered online following her casting.
Speaking to The Guardian, she recalled Googling herself and finding hateful commentary that stayed with her in ways she is still unpacking.
“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,” she said.
“I was very self-aware of what was coming out of my mouth. And for the longest time, I may have tried to make up for it and overcompensate.”
With HBO’s Harry Potter television adaptation on the horizon and a new actress set to take on the role of Cho Chang, Leung had some advice to offer, both for that person and for anyone navigating a similar moment.
“For anybody really, [whatever] stage in their life, [my advice is] just to be themselves, because that’s what makes them unique,” she told Entertainment Tonight.
“And to not let the kind of noise of other people get to you, because what you have already is a gift, and you should really just try and hold onto that.”
