Wednesday July 11, 2007
Luna personified
By S. INDRAMALAR
First-time actress Evanna Lynch is just perfect as Luna Lovegood, a girl who believes in faith, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
In her debut performance as Luna Lovegood, 15-year-old Evanna Lynch virtually steals many of the scenes in the movie. Playing Harry Potter’s newfound friend at Hogwarts, Lynch is soft-spoken and slightly quirky, uncannily like the character she plays.
Her performance has been described by director David Yates as being “remarkable, very believable and real”. Author J.K. Rowling has said that Lynch was perfect for the role.
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Every fan’s dream: Evanna Lynch (pix below) was selected from among 15,000 girls to play Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. |
Luna, says Rowling, is the anti-Hermione; she believes things on faith alone as opposed to the always-logical Hermione. Though the Lovegood family is mentioned in the fourth book, Luna only appears in The Order of the Phoenix.
An avid fan of the Potter books and movies, Lynch fell in love with the character of Luna as soon as she read book five.
“I didn’t immediately say ‘that’s me’. I never thought that actually. But she was someone whom I thought was quite perfect whom I aspired to be like. I felt I understand her thoughts and how she came to be, who she is and I felt I could do her justice,” said Lynch.
She felt so strongly about the character that she made tapes of her acting out the role and sent them to casting agents.
“I was not happy to just sit and wait for fate to take its course. My friends were great...they played Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny and anyone who was needed,” said Luna in a recent interview with the online edition of New York Post.
Unfortunately, Lynch’s audition tapes amounted to naught. She did, however, write to Rowling and, believe it or not, she got a hand-written reply.
“I was overjoyed. It gave me hope. It showed me that us regular fans can connect with those elite people,” said the Irish lass.
Fast forward a few years. Lynch is no longer just “a regular fan”. Not only did she secure the part of Luna (a major role), she aced it.
From the straggly, waist-length blond hair to the slightly dazed look, the misty eyes and the slightly loopy behaviour, Lynch has got it down pat.
How did she finally land the part?
When she heard there were going to be open auditions for Luna, Lynch knew she had to try out.
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She persuaded her father to take her (her mother was not as enthusiastic, not wanting her daughter to be disappointed) to London (from their home in Termonfeckin, southern Ireland) for the auditions.
Once there, Lynch found herself competing against 15,000 other hopefuls for the role. She was unperturbed.
“I did not think (at the auditions) whether I was going to get this part or not. I said to myself, ‘I am going to do my impression of Luna...my vision of her and I hope it matches,” Lynch told reporters at a press conference to promote the fifth movie in London recently.
Added producer David Barron, “Actually, you did say at the time, Evanna, that if we did not choose you it was not because you weren’t good but it was because we were wrong!
“Of course, you said it in the nicest possible way.”
Unfazed, Lynch said, “That’s what I meant. If you did not choose me it meant you did not understand Luna.”
Said Barron, “Fiona Weir (the casting director) met all 15,000 of the girls and eventually distilled the choices down to 29 whom she put on DVD and sent to us.
“She told us there was one girl to watch out for but she did not tell us which one. I got as far as the ninth one and rang Fiona and said, ‘It must be number nine’ and it was. It was Evanna. She was just fantastic.”
Lynch was thrilled, naturally. However, it took some time for reality to sink in.
“It was a bit unreal and daunting. You’ve been watching them for so long that you forget they are real, you know, because they seem kind of fictional.
“When I first went to the set and saw them (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint), I wanted to touch them to see if they were real,” she said.
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