Leung played Cho Chang, Harry Potter’s love interest, appearing in five films across the hugely popular series after making her debut in 2005.
Since then, the Scottish actor has built a steady career across film and television, with roles in projects such as Strangers, The Foreigner, Annika, and The Peripheral, and she is also set to appear in an upcoming season of Netflix’s Bridgerton.
Speaking to The Guardian, she was asked how she coped with the sudden attention and scrutiny that followed her casting in the blockbuster films.
“I don’t think I did,” she admitted. “It was overwhelming from the get-go. Being in the spotlight from that age, when you’re already insecure, was difficult, to say the least.”
It was online that she encountered deeply racist comments, an experience she believes quietly changed her personality and how she interacted with others.
Looking back on that period, Leung reflected: “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.'”
Talking about the moment the franchise came to an end, she said: “I remember coming out of it and thinking, ‘Nothing’s going to beat it’, because it was so successful.”
“I remember being lost, going, ‘What’s next? People will have these high expectations of me topping it, and it’s never going to happen’. I think I was so afraid of meeting these expectations that I gave up, or didn’t give myself the chance, after it, to try and continue acting.”
According to IMDb, she has since gone on to earn more than 30 acting credits, marking a steady return to the screen and stage.
