Katie Leung gave this advice to the new HBO Harry Potter cast

Katie Leung is the latest actor from the Harry Potter movies to address the upcoming HBO series featuring the characters from the Wizarding World. The actress joined the Wizarding World through 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Harry's first crush, Cho Chang.

While she had a small role in the series, the actress did appear in the rest of the film franchise till the last movie of the franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.

After that, Leung appeared in a wide range of projects, but in recent years, she was the voice actor of the character Caitlyn Kiramman from Arcane, which concluded in November 2024. Leung recently attended the BAFTA Games Awards, where she was asked by a journalist from GamingBIBLE about her thoughts on the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series.

What did Harry Potter's Cho Chang actress advise to the potential cast members?

Kate Harrold, a journalist from GamingBIBLE, asked the Cho Chang actress Katie Leung if she had any advice for the actors being cast for the upcoming HBO show, which will be adapting one Harry Potter book for each season. To this, Leung replied:

“I remember feeling really scared, because it’s going to be such a huge budgeted show and there’s going to be so many people involved. I think it’s really important to remember to be true to how you want to play a character, and just don’t let outer voices get to you. You’ve been cast for a reason, for a very good reason. Just roll with it.”

The actress who played Harry's first girlfriend in the fifth movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, further continued:

“Just have fun; I would say just have fun. Remember that there are going to be a lot of people but what matters most in the end is to be vulnerable and open to exploring.”

For now, only one actor is officially confirmed for the HBO series, American actor John Lithgow, who will be playing the Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. While rumors are circulating about the actors playing adult characters, no other casting, including the main trio and the rest of the child actors, is official.

But regardless, there is one thing that the HBO Harry Potter series needs to change from the books.

Disclaimer: This portion of the article solely reflects the author's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

The HBO Harry Potter show needs to make some changes to Cho Chang:

There are numerous aspects of the Harry Potter books and movies that haven't aged well. One such aspect is the character name itself. Over the years, fans have criticized author J.K. Rowling for naming Harry's first girlfriend after not one, but different Asian cultures. Apart from that, her storylines in Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix paint her insensitively.

Therefore, the series needs to evolve according to the times to update this character. Then, there is also Katie Leung's own negative experience with the HP fandom. Leung was just 16 when she was cast as Cho in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. She recalled her experience in the Chinese Chippy Girl podcast in 2021. Here's what the actress recalled:

“I was, like, googling myself at one point, and I was on this website, which was kind of dedicated to the kind of 'Harry Potter' fandom,” Leung said. “I remember reading all the comments. And, yeah, it was a lot of racist s---.”

Leung further revealed that she went to a publicist to get advice on the online vitriol:

“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 get asked that just say it's, say it's not true, say it's not happening.’”

The actress didn't reveal whether the publicist was on her side or the franchise's side. Therefore, it is imperative for the upcoming HBO series to protect its actors from online vitriol that has grown only toxic over the years.

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What changes do you suggest to Cho's character? While the HBO series doesn't have a release date yet, all the movies are available on Max.

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