Katie Leung at Comic Con: the Harry Potter actress on her Louis Koo crush, motherhood and more – interview

“I sound like I’m on helium,” actress Katie Leung tells Style with a laugh during a recent interview at Hong Kong’s inaugural Comic Con, which took place from May 29 to 31.

She’s referring not to the current state of her voice – which must surely be exhausted after a long day spent saying hello to fans from all over – but rather her breakout performance in the original Harry Potter movies 20 years ago. Leung played Cho Chang, the titular character’s romantic interest and classmate at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Leung has certainly come a long way since, nailing a high-profile role as the villainous noblewoman, Lady Araminta Gun, in season four of the hugely popular Netflix series Bridgerton earlier this year. And, as long-time fans of the actress know, her recent appearance at Hong Kong Comic Con marks a full-circle moment for her, too; Leung was born in Scotland to parents from Hong Kong, and her Cantonese heritage has played a huge role in shaping her love for movies over the years.

For Leung, Hong Kong Comic Con was a homecoming. She wasn’t shy about her admiration for Hong Kong actors like her childhood crush Louis Koo, also present at the festival, as well as Faye Wong and Tony Leung. The actress previously shared in interviews that Maggie Cheung’s performance in In the Mood for Love inspired her portrayal of Bridgerton’s Araminta, and that she would love to star in a Wong Kar-wai film herself someday. In one other recent conversation with the South China Morning Post, she said that TVB dramas like A Kindred Spirit helped her stay connected to her heritage growing up.

But Leung wasn’t always so comfortable about being such a visible role model to millions of Asian diaspora kids worldwide. The actress was famously thrust into the spotlight after auditioning for Harry Potter on a whim as a shy 16-year-old. She certainly didn’t think she would actually land the role, previously telling the SCMP, “I thought I was a s*** actor.” She took a break from acting and had to take time to rebuild her confidence. That’s all a far cry from her defiant, scene-stealing turn in Bridgerton, starring as the matriarch of the show’s first East Asian family.