Harry Potter’s Luna Lovegood Writes Heartfelt Post Urging Fans to Audition for ‘Potter’ Spin-Off ‘Fantastic Beasts’

By Emily Zauzmer | People.com

Calling all girls ages 8 to 12! Think that you don’t have a shot at landing a role in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? Luna Lovegood wants you to think again.

On Monday, the Harry Potter fansite MuggleNet posted an ad for an open casting call for the role of Modesty in the upcoming movie adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s 2001 Harry Potter spin-off. That casting call served up a heavy potion of nostalgia for Evanna Lynch, who landed the part of Lovegood – the spacey-but-brave Ravenclaw who becomes one of Harry’s closest allies – in the final four Harry Potter films after noticing a similar casting call on MuggleNet in January 2006.

Lynch, 23, took to her Facebook page to offer inspiration to young girls debating whether or not to chase their show business dreams by auditioning for the film, which will star Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne. “I just want to encourage any girls out there who are tempted to go for this but feel like it’s impossible or bigger than you are, to put all those alleged obstacles out of your mind and just go as you, nothing more, nothing less,” she wrote.

Lynch, who is an avid animal rights activist, offered her own remarkable story as an example of beating the odds. “I was shy, awkward, too-sensitive-for-this-industry, had not one professional credit to my name,” Lynch recalled of her Harry Potter audition. “I only went out of love for the books and a fierce desire to tell Luna’s story the right way….I’m sure there were better, prettier, more established actresses who went for it but I don’t think any of them loved Luna as much as I do.”

One American mother piped up in the comments section that she is trying to secure passports so that she can take her ambitious daughter to the London casting call. Lynch replied, “You’re an awesome parent, regardless of whether or not it works out!! It’s amazing to hear the lengths you would go to help your daughter pursue her dreams and she’ll go far with that positive mindset.”

And if you do not fit the gender and age descriptions of Modesty, Lynch has advice for you, too: “The rest of us can go cry into a pillow for being too old/male/already frikking cast, and then submit our headshots for a role as a crumple-horned snorkack.” (Lynch previously used the crumple-horned snorkack, a creature that both Lynch and Lovegood adore, to poke fun at Benedict Cumberbatch.)

Whether you are aiming for the part of Modesty or a turn as a crumple-horned snorkack, Lynch’s touching advice might just cast the spell you need to take a leap of faith and audition for the film.