‘Harry Potter’ Star Katie Leung Reveals She Faced Racist Backlash for Playing Cho Chang

Katie Leung, best known for playing Cho Chang in the “Harry Potter” films, has opened up about the racism she faced online after being cast in the role. In a new interview with The Guardian, Leung said the backlash from fans “probably made me less outgoing.”

Leung joined the franchise with 2007’s Order of the Phoenix, and her instant fame brought both attention and harassment. “It was overwhelming from the get-go,” she said, reflecting on the challenges of being in the spotlight at a young age.

“Being in the spotlight from that age, when you’re already insecure, was difficult, to say the least. At the time, I was having a lot of fun. I thought, ‘This is different from school, and I really did not enjoy school. So it was a way to escape.’ I’m still trying to figure it out, really, how it affected me.”

Curious about how fans were reacting to her casting, Leung admitted she often went online to check herself. Her character Cho Chang was Harry’s first love and joined Dumbledore’s Army in Order of the Phoenix, with Leung reprising the role in Half-Blood Prince (2009) and both parts of Deathly Hallows (2010–2011).

“I don’t know if anything could have been done back then to make things better or easier,” she said about the racist backlash. “At that age, you’re curious. I remember being very curious about what people were saying about me, and I was Googling myself. Nobody could have stopped me, because I was old enough to make up my own mind.”

Leung said the experience shaped how she acted socially. “I think it just sat with me, and it affected me in ways like, ‘Oh yeah, I made that decision because people were saying this about me.’ It probably made me less outgoing. I was very self-aware of what was coming out of my mouth. And for the longest time, I may have tried to make up for it, and overcompensate.”

She also recalled how publicists advised her to deny any racism when asked in interviews. “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 not true. Say it’s not happening,’”

Leung said on the “Chinese Chippy Girl” podcast in 2021. “And I just nodded my head. I was like, ‘Okay, okay,’ even though I had seen it myself with my own eyes. I was like, ‘Okay, yeah, I’ll just say everything’s great.’”

Now, Leung is preparing for a new role as Lady Araminta Gun in the upcoming fourth season of Netflix’s Bridgerton. Her perspective on acting has changed since her younger years. “I still care about the craft [of acting], I still want to do well, but I can park it once I’m done for the day and go home and live this other life,” she told The Guardian. “It’s more like a job for me than the be-all and end-all, which is how I felt about acting when I was in my 20s.”

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