Katie Leung on the Unseen Cost of Harry Potter Fame

Landing a part in a global phenomenon like Harry Potter might sound like the ultimate break for any young performer. Yet, for Katie Leung, who stepped into the shoes of Cho Chang at just 18, the reality proved far more complicated than the dream.

Reflecting on her experience, Leung admitted the sudden attention was a lot to handle.

"I don't think I did. 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. At the time, I was having a lot of fun. I thought: this is different from school, and I really did not enjoy school. So it was a way to escape. I'm still trying to figure it out, really, how it affected me.

She went on,

"I don't know if anything could have been done back then to make things better or easier. 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."

Facing Hostility and Its Lingering Effects

What she found online was far from encouraging. Leung encountered a barrage of hostile remarks, many of which targeted her background. The impact of these comments, she suggests, was not something she could simply brush off.

"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. [Success] happened by pure chance. And for the longest time, I may have tried to make up for it, and overcompensate.

She continued,

"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? 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."

Life After the Wizarding World

Leung’s experience is not unique among her former castmates. Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger, has also spoken about the pressures that came with the territory. Last autumn, she shared her own perspective:

"I think what's interesting about being an actor is, there's a tendency to sort of fracture yourself into multiple personalities. I'm not just talking about the roles you play, but having the weight of a public persona, that sort of needs constant feeding and sprucing and glamorizing. It's very energy-intensive stuff.

Watson added,

"I think I'll be honest and straight-forward, and say: I do not miss selling things. I found that to be quite soul-destroying. But I do very much miss using my skillset, and I very much miss the art. I just found I got to do so little of the bit that I actually enjoyed."

For Leung, the shadow cast by her time in the wizarding world lingered long after the cameras stopped rolling. The weight of expectation, coupled with the sting of online vitriol, left a mark that shaped her choices and outlook for years to come.