The original Potterheads are getting older and introducing a new generation of muggles to the magic. And we know that if you need to have a cozy weekend to yourself, watching all of the Harry Potter movies is the only way to go. While the golden trio of Harry, Hermione, and Ron normally get all the credit, they wouldn’t have done it without the help of amazing supporting characters.
Whether you read the books first or went straight for the movies, you couldn’t imagine anyone other than Evanna Lynch portraying the fearless Ravenclaw with an endless supply of words of wisdom, Luna Lovegood. Grab your broomstick and see what magic Evanna has been brewing since the Battle of Hogwarts was won.
Background info
The Irish jewel that is Evanna Patricia Lynch was born on August 16th, 1991, in Termonfeckin, County Louth, Leinster, Ireland, to parents Marguetire and Donal Lynch. Evanna has two older sisters, Mairead and Emily, and one younger brother, Patrick.
Evanna’s early career doesn’t have much to it other than performing in some school plays. She was only 14 years old when she auditioned for the role that would change her life. Though her mother didn’t initially want her to try out, thinking she’d never get picked, Evanna insisted.
Before that, in true Potterhead fashion, Evanna attended book releases and even wrote fan letters to J.K. Rowling. In one letter, she told Rowling that it would be a dream for her to be in a Harry Potter film, and we all know that magical ending.
Harry Potter
In January 2006, Evanna auditioned for the role of Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter. She battled past 15,000 other hopeful witches to live a 14-year-old’s dream. Evanna joined the Wizarding World as the quirky Ravenclaw in the fifth installment of the franchise in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in 2007.
The character of Luna Lovegood couldn’t have been more perfectly cast. Lynch even spent her free time on set helping to design – and make – various costume pieces for the charater. Evanna embodied Luna’s positive, perceptive, and open-minded personality, and quickly became a favorite character.
Lynch continued to portray Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 from 2009 to 2011. She also lent her voice for the character for the video games of the same names.
What did Evanna do after Harry Potter?
Lynch barely took time to hang up her cloak after Harry Potter ended, as she appeared in an episode of the series Sinbad in 2012, and then the comedy movie G.B.F. in 2013.
She had a busy 2015, starring in the films Addiction, A 60’s Love Story and the Irish indie My Name is Emily as Emily, along with a British drama TV film, Danny and the Human Zoo. Maybe she used a Time-Turner that year.
She put on her dancing shoes to be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars in 2018, where she came in third place. In 2019, Evanna played Abbie Fox in the crime comedy movie Madness in the Method.
What is Evanna Lynch doing now?
She is still making magic on screen, with her recent credits including the 2021 shorts Other Half and You Eat Other Animals? and the 2022 short Bus Girl.
Evanna also has a few projects coming up. She’ll star as Beth in the short Sandwich Man, which is in post, and she’ll be portraying Lucia Joyce in the drama movie James and Lucia with Minnie Driver and Alex Kingston, which is in pre-production.
If you love audiobooks, there are a few Evanna has voiced for you. She’s also performed on stage since 2012, and will be at the Arcola Theatre in London performing in the play Under the Black Rock until the end of March 2023.
Evanna joined the convention circuit in 2015, and makes occasional appearances a few times a year. She regularly posts on her personal Instagram account, so you can stay up-to-date on what she’s up to there.
Evanna is a vegan and ran a vegan-based podcast, The Chickpeeps, from 2017 to 2019. Lynch currently co-hosts a podcast titled Just Beings, where she and her co-host discuss how to make the world better for the animals and humans living on it. And yes, some Harry Potter friends Apparate on in.
If you love beauty care subscription boxes, Evanna and Daniella Monet (Zoey 101, Victorious) created Kinder Beauty Box. It focuses on items that are vegan and sustainable, and they donate a portion of their sales to some amazing causes.
Lynch added author to her resume in October 2021, when she released her memoir, titled The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and Glory of Growing Up – A Memoir. The book details her struggle with an eating disorder when she was a child, how reading the Harry Potter books helped her in her journey to heal, and, of course, a little Harry Potter talk.
Personal life
In her personal life, Lynch found her magical match with Harry Potter co-star Robbie Jarvis (teenage James Potter) from 2007 until 2016. The pair are still close, and he is a co-host on the Just Beings podcast, as well as was a co-host on The Chickpeeps podcast.
Evanna Lynch certainly isn’t letting the nargles get in her way, as her Harry Potter power levitates her to amazing new adventures. If you haven’t watched the TV special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts yet, grab the tissues, and enjoy the train ride back to visit old friends.
Whatever Evanna chooses to do in the future, she’ll always have an army of Ravenclaws ready to raise their wands for her.
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