“Harry Potter” alumnus Katie Leung tells Entertainment Tonight in a new interview that she doesn’t want to go back to her days playing Cho Chang on the hit fantasy series.
“I was very young at the time and didn’t know who I was, so I was easily influenced by what people said about me,” said Leon, who recently played Lady Araminta Gunn in “Bridgerton.” “So I came to ‘Bridgerton’ with a really healthy focus on work. I’m really happy to be here. I don’t want to go back to those days. Not because I had bad times or anything, but I’m really happy that people know who I am. I’m still figuring it out, but I’m getting a little closer.”
Leon, who appeared in five Harry Potter movies, also spoke about his filming experience to Variety magazine in February. “My first job, ‘Harry Potter,’ I had never acted before and suddenly I was standing in front of 20 cameras and 100 people and I was completely lost and still didn’t understand who I was. I can’t say I had the best time of my life,” he said.
She went on to compare the experience to her time on “Arcane” and “Bridgerton,” saying she felt she “deserved” to be on those shows. And when you stop questioning, you can actually focus on producing your best work. ”
Leon made his screen debut in 2005 as Cho in the fourth film in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Originally written as a love interest for Harry Potter, Cho later appeared in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, and Part 2.
The actress also told Entertainment Tonight what advice she would give to whoever plays Cho in HBO’s upcoming TV version of “Harry Potter.”
“Really for anyone, at any stage in their life, (my advice) is to be who you are, because that’s what makes you unique,” Leon said. “And don’t let other people’s noise distract you, because what you already have is a gift and you should try to hold on to it.”
Leon recently spoke to the Guardian about dealing with racism and backlash while filming Harry Potter.
“I don’t know if anything could have been done at the time to make things better or easier,” Leon said. “At that age, you’re so curious. I remember being so curious about what people were saying about me that I would Google it myself. No one could stop me, because I was old enough to make my own decisions.”
“I think that stayed with me and affected me in a way of like, ‘Oh yeah, I made that decision because of what people said about me.’ That may have made me less outgoing,” she continued about the racism she found online regarding her casting. “I was very aware of what was coming out of my mouth, and for a long time I was probably trying to compensate and overcompensate for it.”
