Harry Potter Star Reflects On Racist Bullying 15 Years After Playing Controversial Character

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Katie Leung, who played Cho Chang in the Harry Potter films, remembers experiencing online racist bullying after she was cast. Cho Chang first appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005 and was a recurring character in the four films that followed, as a friend and brief romantic interest for Harry.

In a recent conversation with The Guardian, Leung discussed what it was like joining the film series, noting it was a surprisingly difficult experience for her as a 16-year-old. When asked about handling the instant fame, she admitted, “I don’t think I did.” She added that being suddenly in the public eye had both good and bad aspects.

“It was a lot to handle right from the start,” Leung explains. “Being famous at such a young age, when you’re already feeling unsure of yourself, was incredibly challenging.”

Looking back, she realizes she didn’t fully grasp what was happening then, but she understands it much better now. She recalls, “I was just having a good time. It felt completely different from school, which I didn’t like at all. It was a way to get away from everything. I’m still trying to understand the long-term impact it had on me.”

As a huge movie fan, I’ve always been curious about what it was really like on set, and apparently, the actors on Harry Potter were well looked after. However, it wasn’t a completely perfect situation – there were still boundaries to what the production could do for them, according to what I’ve heard.

It’s hard to say if things could have been handled differently at the time. When you’re that age, you naturally want to know what others are thinking. I remember being really interested in what people were saying about me, and I used to search for myself online. There wasn’t anything anyone could do to stop me, because I was old enough to decide for myself.

After being cast as Cho, Leung searched for her name online and was immediately confronted with a wave of cruel and racist comments. She admits she didn’t handle it well, and that reading those comments fundamentally changed how she approached public appearances and her overall image.

Looking back, I realize that experience really stuck with me and changed how I acted. I started making decisions based on what others thought, and it definitely made me more reserved. I became overly conscious of everything I said.

Leung adds that she felt she hadn’t truly earned her success, as her career took off unexpectedly after being cast in Harry Potter. She explains, “It was completely luck,” and believes she spent a long time trying to prove herself and make up for it.

Cho, a character from the series, has recently become a subject of debate. However, this isn’t due to the actor who played her, but rather criticism directed at J.K. Rowling, the author of Harry Potter. Rowling is being accused of giving Cho a name that unfortunately resembles a hurtful, anti-Asian slur, and of not developing her character very fully.

Katie Leung’s most recent appearance in a Harry Potter film was in 2011, when she had a minor role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Since then, she’s been in several other projects, including the films T2 Trainspotting and The Foreigner, and the TV series The Nest, The Peripheral, The Wheel of Time, and Arcane.

I’m really excited about what’s next for Katie Leung – she’s landed a role in the upcoming season of Bridgerton! She’ll be playing Araminta, a character fans of the Julia Quinn books will definitely recognize. It’s great to see her joining another huge franchise, and it always makes me think back to her memorable performance as Cho Chang in the Harry Potter films. She’s definitely an actress with a career that’s constantly growing and changing, and I’m eager to see what she does with this new role.

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2026-01-09 20:28