The Personal Reason Harry Potter’s Katie Leung Wouldn’t Want To Relive Her Time With The Franchise
Actress Katie Leung recently graced the 2026 Netflix schedule as a member of the cast of Bridgerton Season 4. Leung crushes her role of the antagonistic Lady Araminta Gun. Of course, even now, Harry Potter fans surely recognize the Scottish actress for having played Cho Chang years ago. At this point, Leung is far removed from her stint with with the Wizarding World franchise and has gained some perspective. With that, she dropped a thoughtful reason for not wanting to relive that part of her life.
When Leung was 16 years old, she made her acting debut, portraying Harry Potter’s love interest in The Goblet of Fire. While the fantasy flick provided her with some notoriety within the entertainment industry, Leung recently explained to ET that that particular time in her life was tough and not because of the actual work she was doing:
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. 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.
The Harry Potter alum makes a lot of sense. Leung explained that as a young person, she was still trying to figure herself out at the time. That’s something I’d like to think plenty of people can relate to, but Leung’s case was obviously quite different, since she was a public figure and had plenty of people in her ear.
Katie Leung previously spoke about the “overwhelming fame” that came with her playing Cho, and it didn’t sound easy to deal with. But, now that Leung is 38 years old, she says hat stepping into Bridgerton is an entirely new experience and that at this point, she has a better idea of who she is, which is wonderful to hear.
With the Harry Potter TV show hitting HBO in 2027, many of the actors from the films have been asked for their thoughts and whether they’d share advice for their successors. As for Katie Leung, she shared that she probably won’t send an advice-filled letter to whoever is cast as Cho next.
However, Leung still suggested that the new actress have fun with the role and strive to be unique while not be “dragged down by the noise.” As the Harry Potter film actors were the first to bring these roles to life, the TV show’s child stars are in the fortunate position to hear comments like these from their predecessors.
As a fan, I’m particularly glad to hear Katie Leung’s reason for not wanting to relive her days playing Cho Chang isn’t linked to any bad experiences on set. Right now, though, I’m just eager to see what Leung does next now that she’s feeling confident as an actor and person.
Fans can revisit Leung’s portrayal of the Ravenclaw student who caught Harry’s eye by streaming the Harry Potter movies with an HBO Max subscription. Also, make sure to also watch her new performance in the newest season of Bridgerton with a Netflix subscription.
