Who's Katie Leung? 'Harry Potter' star steals spotlight in 'Bridgerton'
What's the story
Katie Leung (38), who played Cho Chang in the Harry Potter franchise, has now joined the cast of Bridgerton Season 4 as Lady Araminta Gun. The British actor of Hong Kong descent was a surprise addition to the Netflix period fantasy show. She has been working consistently since her breakout role in 2005, and has received positive reviews for her latest role.
Audition success
How did she land her 1st big role?
Leung was still in school when she auditioned for the fourth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Her father, a restaurateur, found a casting call, and they waited four hours for a five-minute audition. To her surprise, she was chosen from 3,000 girls due to her Scottish roots, something the casting agents were specifically looking for.
Nostalgic moment
She has mixed feelings about her time in the franchise
Leung's fondest memory from the four Harry Potter movies is her first audition, where both her divorced parents reunited to support her. She also remembered being sent to China by Warner Bros for a promotional tour, a rare move for Hollywood at that time. However, she faced backlash from fans over her on-screen romance with Daniel Radcliffe's character. She spoke on the Chinese Chippy Girl podcast, "I remember reading all the comments. And...it was a lot of racist s*it."
Career challenges
Backlash over her character led to a crisis
The racist comments intensified after her kissing scene with Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix (2007). Leung said, "Harry Potter was an amazing experience, but I didn't know whether I was chosen on my acting ability or because I fitted the character at the time." However, enrolling in a drama course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland reignited her passion for acting. She has since worked extensively on stage, television, and film projects.
Career resurgence
Her career post-'Harry Potter'
Leung's career saw a revival with the rise of streaming platforms. She voiced Caitlyn Kiramman in Netflix's Arcane from 2021 to 2024. Speaking about her Bridgerton role, she told Harper's Bazaar, "People thought I'd be offended at being asked to play Araminta." "And I thought, 'No-I feel seen, for once!'" For her role as an evil but humanized stepmother, she drew inspiration from Maggie Cheung's performance in Wong Kar-wai's In The Mood for Love (2000).