Katie Leung recalls her casting as Cho Chang harry potter The film franchise resulted in online racism. He added that the reaction from toxic fans “has probably made me less sociable.”

talking to leung Guardiansaid, “It was overwhelming from the beginning. He spoke openly about the instant fame he received as a result of his involvement, and the bullying that followed. harry potter Movies, starting from 2007 order of the Phoenix,

She continued, “Being in the spotlight at 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 didn’t really enjoy school. So it was a way to escape.’ “I’m still trying to figure out how it really affected me.”

Leung mentioned that she went online specifically to gauge fans’ reaction to her casting as Cho Chang, Harry Potter’s first girlfriend. She was curious to see the reaction of the faithful harry potter Fan base Cho joins Dumbledore’s Army order of the PhoenixLeung reprized the role in 2009 half Blood Princeof 2010 Deathly Hallows: Part 1 And Deathly Hallows: Part 2,

“I don’t know if anything could have been done at that time to make things better or easier. At that age, you are curious. I remember I was very curious about what people were saying about me, and I was Googling myself. No one could stop me, because I was old enough to make up my own mind,” she insisted.

Leung highlighted, “I think it just stuck with me, and it affected me like, ‘Oh yes, I made this decision because people were saying that about me.’ It probably made me less sociable. I was very conscious of what was coming out of my mouth. And for the longest time, I may have tried to compensate and overcompensate.”

Actors were seen on sugar chip girl podcast in 2021 and revealed that her publicists had told her to deny that there was any racist reaction to her casting if asked about such matters in interviews.

She said, “I remember them saying to me, ‘Oh, look Katie, we haven’t seen these, these websites that people are talking about. And you know if you’re asked that, just say it’s not true. Say it’s not happening.’

Leung is now set to join another global franchise with her role as Lady Araminta Gun in Netflix’s upcoming fourth season. bridgerton“I still care about the art (of acting), I still want to do well, but after I’m done for the day I can park it and go home and live this other life,” the Harry Potter actor explained, Guardian,

She said, “It’s more like a job for me than the be-all and end-all, which is how I felt about acting when I was 20.”

Leung’s new show bridgerton season 4 Premieres on Netflix on January 29, 2026.