Evanna Lynch Discusses the Moon, Twitter, and Tough Queen Energy

Since her first appearance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as Luna Lovegood, Evanna Lynch has become a beloved and successful actor, writer, vegan activist, animal rights advocate, podcaster, and creator of an ethical cosmetics brand. She admits to parallels between her real-life personality and her fictional counterpart in the wizarding world. In a recent interview talking about wellness, her Luna showed again.

As an actor, Evanna has found her hectic lifestyle difficult, especially as a survivor of anorexia. Luckily, the Moon has come to her rescue in keeping a clear mind. Each new moon, she uses it to meditate with candles and music, and she writes down five things she wants to achieve that month. Why the Moon? Evanna explained her method in more detail to HuffPost:

This year, I started working with the moon – the new moon and the full moon. The new moon is about setting new intentions and putting out your wishes to the universe. The full moon is about surrendering and letting go of things that didn’t work out.

Being an actor or a writer or whatever I’m doing, I don’t have a set routine, and in the past, that has really stressed me out because it’s made me feel out of control. Working with the moon, it helps me feel like I’m sort of in collaboration with the universe and more in step with it. Having set those intentions, I just feel more relaxed. I feel like I have some sort of structure to my life, and the rest is kind of up to the universe.

Evanna is also paying attention to more than her spiritual well-being. She is a big fan of wearing face masks, particularly as a substitute Invisibility Cloak, saying, “I have to say, the whole mask thing has been really helpful for me. You put on a mask and some sunglasses and really nobody can tell who you are!” With fame comes pressure, and she is very conscious of her online presence and influence. She first discussed the expectations of her in relation to the Black Lives Matter movement:

You kind of always have to know what to say and be informed. With all the political stuff going on lately and the Black Lives Matter movement, for example, people are always looking for you to know exactly what to say, for you to say something right. Or they’re looking for you to say something wrong. Either way, they’re looking at you.

Evanna then went on to address J.K. Rowling’s controversial statements on trans people, lamenting the lack of space for nuanced conversations on Twitter. She remains a fan and a friend of the author, but at the same time, she ultimately said “I don’t really understand where her fixation and her fear is coming from around this. […] I really feel for her. But I really want to understand why she is saying these things that are hurtful to many trans people.”

Aside from easing into veganism gently and safely, letting go of toxic people was another essential part of recovery from anorexia, admitting, “I used to get addicted to people who made me feel bad because I thought they were improving me,” be it boyfriends or acting teachers. She has since learned how to demand the space and time to care about her own well-being. She doesn’t simply rely on the Moon in order to achieve this. Enter what she has termed “tough queen energy”:

She’s a queen who is doing good and is there for benevolent reasons. She’s kind, but she’s really, really fierce. I’ve just noticed people slipping into my life and asking too many favours and asking too much of my time. So I’m having her in my mind, putting them back into place, kindly but very firmly. 

That’s a great takeaway, Evanna. We at MuggleNet will be kneeling under the next new moon and finding our tough queen energy for sure.