Luna Lovegood actress, Evanna Lynch, has opened up about how the Harry Potter franchise helped her recover from an eating disorder. Lynch portrayed the quirky Ravenclaw Hogwarts student, Lovegood, in four of the Harry Potter films. The Harry Potter franchise series consists of 8 films, based off of the seven-book series of the same name written by J.K. Rowling and published between 1997 - 2007. For two decades, the love for Harry Potter has only grown stronger with each new book and film. The franchise is still very much alive today with Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts scheduled to release on January 1st, 2022, and set to reunite the original film cast for another adventure.
Lynch is among many of the Harry Potter actors and actresses who will be returning for the 20th anniversary reunion. While her character, Lovegood, wasn't quite one of the major characters such as Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), or Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), she still managed to surface alongside them as one of the franchise's most iconic characters. Readers and viewers adored how Lovegood was always unapologetically herself and they admired her free spirit, heroism, and kindness. Lovegood's inspiration even spread to the Lovegood actress herself.
In an interview with BBC The One Show, Lynch opened up about how the Harry Potter franchise and Lovegood's character helped her recover from an eating disorder. Before her role as Lovegood, Lynch suffered from an eating disorder that she developed during her early childhood. Lynch soon found that stories helped her far more than doctor's visits. She became so enamored with Harry Potter's magic, in particular, that it helped her to forget about her body and eating. Lovegood especially inspired Lynch, because of the character's central self-acceptance. Portraying Lovegood was a dream come true for Lynch and also kept her on track with her recovery, as maintaining her role depended on her being able to take care of herself. Check out the interview below:
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Lynch described her eating disorder as one of the bleakest moments of her life. However, with the help stories and with Harry Potter's magic, she found a love of life once more. Now, she is telling her own story to help others who are suffering from eating disorders. Lynch released her own memoir in 2021, detailing her struggle with her eating disorder and the impact that Harry Potter had on her recovery. Through her story, she urges many to take on Lovegood-like characteristics - to appreciate oneself, to focus on self-worth, and to focus on getting stronger.
Lynch's revelation about Harry Potter aiding her recovery illustrates the healing power that stories have. While recovery from an eating disorder looks different for each individual, Lynch makes an excellent point that stories sometimes have the power to distract one from reality. Harry Potter allowed Lynch to momentarily forget her eating disorder and to revel instead in the magic of the wizarding world. It also gave her positive and self-accepting role models in the form of characters such as Lovegood. Lynch's story urges those suffering from disorders to search for the things that foster a love for life within them and also urges creators to put forth stories filled with inspiration and positivity. Harry Potter's story had an immense impact on Lynch's recovery from an eating disorder and now her own story will, in turn, further develop that inspiration and healing power and offer it to many others.
Source: BBC The One Show