'Harry Potter' star Katie Leung recalls discriminatory remarks from fans

Katie Leung reflected on the hostile reception she faced in the wake of her casting in the Harry Potter films and the toll it had taken on her personal and professional life.

The actress, who played Harry Potter’s first love interest Cho Chang, revealed that the initial backlash from fans made her “less outgoing” over the years.

“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,’” she recalled. “It probably made me less outgoing. I was very self-aware of what was coming out of my mouth.”

“It probably made me less outgoing. I was very self-aware of what was coming out of my mouth,” Leung continued.

Moreover, the weight of expectations and the scrutiny she faced after her early success limited her confidence and career choices, making her hesitant to continue acting freely.

“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 Scottish beauty told The Guardian.

She also lamented about the lack of roles for herself, saying that because there weren’t a lot of them available, “I was incredibly grateful to be considered.”

“A large part of that was me, again, giving myself a hard time, thinking I wasn’t deserving of anything,” the 38-year-old added.

Comparisons with actors of Asian backgrounds, like Lucy Liu, also left her feeling “irked”, as she explained, “I remember thinking, why not Meryl Streep? I was kind of restricted by my race, and I guess Lucy Liu was the only other Asian actor that was, at the time, on the big screen.”

Leung appeared in four of the popular wizarding franchise’s films, starting with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005.

On the work front, she is set to appear as Lady Araminta Gun on Season Four of Bridgerton, out on Netflix in two parts, with first premiering on January 29 and second on February 26.