It seems like only yesterday that movie audiences watched actress Evanna Lynch portray Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film series. The Luna Lovegood character was introduced in the film series in the fifth installment film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). However, the Irish actress didn’t take long to become a regular and notable face in the Harry Potter film series.
By all standards, being cast as Luna Lovegood was a career-defining role for the young actress. Interestingly, her appearance in the 2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was Evanna Lynch’s on-screen acting debut. Yet, with so much promise and publicity garnered from the $7.7 billion Box Office revenue franchise, Evanna Lynch seems to have disappeared from the spotlight. Here’s more on Evanna Lynch and what the Irish actress has been up to.
Reflecting on Her Role in the Harry Potter Film Series
Like the other characters in the film series, Luna Lovegood was created by the award-winning British author J. K. Rowling in her Harry Potter book series. The first time Evanna Lynch appears on screen in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) is when Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright), and Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) join her in her compartment on the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts. Lovegood, nicknamed Loony Lovegood, considers Harry Potter, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), Ginny Weasley, and Neville Longbottom, her best friends. Luna Lovegood’s father is the editor-in-chief of The Quibbler magazine.
Evanna Lynch portrayed the character in subsequent sequels, with Luna Lovegood’s last appearance in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011). Luna Lovegood assisted Harry Potter in more ways than one in his preparation for his battle with Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). She was also one of the first people to congratulate Harry Potter after he defeated Lord Voldemort. She later provided the much-needed distraction to allow Harry Potter to escape while wearing the Cloak of Invisibility.
Acting Career After Harry Potter Film Series
Although Evanna Lynch may have seemed to have quietly walked away from acting, the actress took on a few roles after the Harry Potter film series. After a two-year break from the big screen, Lynch returned, starring in a supporting role as the Christian extremist and mean-spirited character McKenzie Pryce in the teen comedy G.B.F. (2013). Evanna Lynch then played the titular character, Emily Egan, in the Irish independent drama My Name Is Emily (2015).
Evanna Lynch’s next movie appearance was four years later, in 2019, when she played a supporting role in the crime comedy Madness in the Method (2019). However, Evanna Lynch has a few upcoming projects (with a voice role) on the big screen. Interestingly, Evanna Lynch made her television debut in 2012, a year after the Harry Potter film series ended. Although she’s yet to be cast in a regular or recurring role, she starred in a British drama television film in 2015, Danny and the Human Zoo.
Although Evanna Lynch did not appear in many roles in feature-length films and TV shows, she starred in several short films. Besides her starring role in the short film released for World Vegan Day 2021, You Eat Other Animals? (2021), she was relatively busy with short films when not appearing on the big screen. Evanna Lynch also moved to theater after Harry Potter, with her credited debut in 2012, in which she reprised Luna Lovegood in StarKid Productions’ A Very Potter Senior Year. Her most recent stage play was Under the Black Rock, which was performed at London’s Arcola Theatre in 2023.
Evanna Lynch Was A Contestant In Dancing with the Stars
Besides her other guest appearances in TV shows, Evanna Lynch made a surprise appearance as a contestant in season 27 of Dancing with the Stars. Lynch was paired with professional South African dancer Keo Motsepe. Evanna Lynch and her partner finished the season in Third Place on November 19, 2018. They were beaten by actor Milo Manheim and his partner Witney Carson, who were the season’s Runners-up, and Radio Personality Bobby Bones and partner Sharna Burgess, who won the season.
Evanna Lynch’s Personal Life
In her last appearance as Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011), Evanna Lynch was a month shy of her 20th birthday. She was in a romantic relationship with her Harry Potter co-star Robbie Jarvis for almost a decade, with the couple breaking up after nine years. Robbie Jarvis portrayed the teenage James Potter in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). Evanna Lynch struggled with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa as a teen, even during her time starring in the Harry Potter films.
To help other young women like her, Lynch published a memoir in 2021, The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and Glory of Growing Up – A Memoir, detailing her struggles and recovery from anorexia. Besides her work as an actress, Evanna Lynch has established herself as an activist. She has been and is still heavily involved with several charity projects. She has been a vegetarian since she was 11. As such, she advocates for veganism and has been involved in several campaigns for animal rights.
Evanna Lynch’s Recent Works and Projects
Evanna Lynch’s last major on-screen appearance was when she joined her fellow past Harry Potter co-star for the television special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022). The HBO Max special was a reunion for the cast and crew and marked the 20th anniversary of the release of the first film in the film series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001). It aired on January 1, 2022, and unsurprisingly had a high audience and critic ratings. Evanna Lynch has also been involved with different podcast projects. In 2022, she was a co-host of the podcast for the Conversations with Friends TV series Obsessed with… Conversations with Friends. Since 2022, Evanna Lynch has been a co-host of the Just Beings podcast, which she hosts with social psychologist and author Melanie Joy.
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