Katie Leung talks ‘Harry Potter’ and new project ‘Run’

Katie Leung, who portrayed Cho Chang in the Harry Potter films, was recently interviewed for British newspaper the Daily Mail, where she discussed both her experiences working on the Potter movies and what she’s been up to since she left Hogwarts behind.

Leung was only sixteen when she was cast as Cho Chang, and in the interview she opens up about how the role changed her life.

I grew up overnight. I was still 16, doing my Highers, and I left school to go down to Watford and film. I spent a lot of time being tutored on set. But during my extended breaks from filming, I would go back to school, and it was these moments that made me realise just how much more there was out there. Back in Scotland all my friends were still in a bubble. Suddenly we had nothing in common. It was really difficult to get back with them – it never really happened. I don’t resent that – in a way it made me realise how privileged I was to be working and seeing a wider world.

Katie also speaks about her appearance in the upcoming BBC miniseries Run as Ying, an illegal immigrant living in Britain. The role marks a drastic departure from Leung’s turn as the Ravenclaw beauty. Says Leung of her new project:

Ying’s experiences in those 45 minutes get worse and worse. There’s nudity, there’s a rape – and there are a few scenes which have been cut, such as when Ying sleeps on the street for a night and two teenagers who have been out drinking urinate all over her. It was not very nice.

Be sure to check out the full article here to read more about what Katie has been up to in the years since Harry Potter. It seems she has grown into a very successful young woman, just like so many of her Potter costars!

Thanks to Snitchseeker for the tip!

Dan Radcliffe apologized to Robbie Coltrane for Phone Prank

Daniel Radcliffe’s tendency to prank his fellow Harry Potter cast-mates often added levity to the set, but there was at least one time when his antics went a little too far.

Reportedly, Robbie Coltrane, who portrayed Hagrid in the films, was once a victim of a prank where the young actor changed the settings on his friend’s phone from English to Turkish. The joke seems harmless enough—except that Coltrane was left unable to make calls!

The infuriated actor had a hard time finding anyone on set who could change the settings of his phone back to English, and Radcliffe was left feeling understandably sheepish about what he had done. Coltrane remembers the event clearly:

Eventually we found a girl in the Harry Potter make-up department who was Turkish Cypriot. She phoned her mum and was chatting away in great detail until they sorted it out. I think Daniel was so upset at what had happened that he wrote me that note...'Dear Mr. Coltrane, I'm sorry I changed your mobile telephone into Turkish...

Have you ever been part of a prank gone too far? Let us know in the comments!

Katie Leung excited for new role in 'Wild Swans' opening this weekend in Boston

Katie Leung - the 24-year-old actress who portrayed Cho Chang in the Harry Potter series - is making her stage debut in Alexandra Wood's world premiere play at the American Repertory Theater based on the book published in 1991 titled, Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China.

When asked by the Boston Herald if she was familiar with Wild Swans before auditioning:

"No, but my mother read it over 20 years ago and remembered it so vividly. She was ecstatic to discover I got the part. I was immediately compelled by the characters, especially since they are based on true-to-life individuals from the memoir. Many of them gave up so much as a result of the ever-changing rules of communism."

On how playing Cho in Harry Potter affected her life:

"I have had the privilege to meet many talented individuals in the film industry. To be working alongside people who possess such passion for what they do has in turn helped me to strive for my ideals. In other words, I'm far more optimistic than I used to be."

MuggleNet's lead staffer Kat will be at a special performance on Friday evening and will provide a full report.

Katie Leung makes stage debut this Saturday in 'Wild Swans'

In her first role since appearing as Cho Chang in the Harry Potter films, Katie Leung is set to star in Sacha Wares' production of Jung Chang's autobiographical play, Wild Swans. Katie will play the central role of Er-Hong, as a witness to China's 20th-century cultural revolution. In an interview with TheaterMania, Katie described the role as follows:

"Er-Hong is a studious and respectful daughter and granddaughter who is seen growing up from a young child to into her twenties in the midst of China's Cultural Revolution. She becomes affected by it enormously throughout her childhood as she watches her communist parents sacrifice endlessly for a fairer society amongst all the corruption and oppression. As a result, Er-Hong becomes determined to excel in her studies in hope of gaining a scholarship to study abroad and escape the country's strict regimes."

The rest of Katie's interview can be read here.

Wild Swans will be playing at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts from February 11 - March 11, to be followed by a run in London at the Young Vic from April 13 - May 13. MuggleNet will be attending a special screening of the production next Friday, February 17th. Be sure to check back for a full review.

Tickets for American Repertory Theater showing can be purchased here, and tickets for the Young Vic run can be purchased here.

Katie Leung nominated for Most Stylish Scotswoman

Bonnie and Katie attend premiere