Background

Evanna was born on 16 August 1991, to Donal and Marguerite Lynch. She has two sisters, Máiréad and Emily, and one brother, Patrick.

Education

For her elementary education, Evanna Lynch schooled at Cartown National School and for secondary education, she schooled at Our Lady’s College, Greenhills, located in Drogheda, Ireland. In 2008, she spent her summer studying speculative fiction and drama at the Centre for Talented Youth of Ireland (CTYI), a school specially designed for the gifted teens in Glasnevin.

Career

Prior to her role in the Harry Potter franchise, Evanna Lynch was a huge fan of the book series and as such, she corresponded regularly with the book’s author J.K. Rowling. However, her friendship with Rowling had absolutely nothing to do with her getting the coveted role.

Having only featured occasionally in school plays, the youngster had no experience in terms of acting professionally. However, being a huge fan of the book series, she had imbibed the character Luna so well that the casting directors were convinced that she was perfect for the role.

Evanna learned on 23 January 2006 that she had won the role of Luna, beating 15,000 girls all over United Kingdom and Ireland, though it would be publicly announced on 2 February. Her father had flown her to London for the open audition, though her mother had doubts that she would be successful in winning the role. During the early stages of the fifth film's production, the young actress finally met Rowling at the Leavesden Studios lot. After a long chat, Rowling had one thing to say about Lynch portraying Luna: "perfect".

Starting from 2007, Lynch delivered a perfect portrayal of Luna in the last 4 installments of the Harry Potter film series. In 2012, the talented actress featured in the musical titled A Very Potter Senior Year, alongside some other members of the original cast. During her time appearing in the Harry Potter films, Lynch also made and helped design a number of fashion accessories for them.

Following her work in the Harry Potter films, Lynch went on to guest star as Princess Alehna (daughter of Taryn, played by Orla Brady) in the first season finale of the Sky1 television series Sinbad. She was also scheduled to play Fiona Carrick-Smith in the 2013 indie crime drama film Monster Butler. The film was to have been based on the life of British serial killer and thief Archibald Hall. The film was cancelled due to problems with funding. Lynch also starred in indie teen comedy G.B.F., which screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in April 2013 and at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco on 30 June 2013.

In May 2013, it was announced that Lynch was to star in the British stage tour production called Houdini which performed at various theatres in the United Kingdom from 9 September 2013 to 12 October 2013. Lynch played the role of Bess Houdini, the wife and assistant of magician Harry Houdini. In September 2014, it was announced that Lynch would star in her first lead role as the titular character in the Irish-produced film My Name Is Emily, written and directed by a man battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Filming began in Ireland that month and the film was released in 2015. In April 2017, it was announced she would star in a revival of Enda Walsh's Disco Pigs for the London stage, which performed from 12 July-19 August 2017 at Trafalgar Studios. It was later transferred to Off-Broadway at the Irish Repertory Theatre and played from 5 January-4 March 2018.

She is further appearing in cameo role in Jason Mewes's 2018 directorial debut Madness in the Method.

On 12 September 2018, Lynch was announced as one of the celebrities to compete on season 27 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Her professional partner was Keo Motsepe. Motsepe and Lynch made it to the show's finale, making this the first time Motsepe had reached the finals, and they finished in third place.

In March 2019, it was announced she would appear in the British premiere of the Argentinian play The Omission of the Family Coleman, written by Claudio Tolcachir, translated by Stella Feehily, directed by Laurence Boswell and presented by Ustinov Studio. It will premiere at the Theatre Royal Bath on 28 March and will run through 27 April 2019.

Achievements

• Evanna Lynch is remembered mostly for her role as Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film series. Giving a speech during the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J. K. Rowling stated that there were seven major cast members in the series, whom she referred to as The Big Seven, and she named Lynch as one of the seven members, along with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, and Bonnie Wright.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • My Name Is Emily

    (On her 16th birthday, Emily runs away from her foster hom...)

    2015
  • G.B.F.

    (A story of two best friends, Tanner and Brent. One longs ...)

    2013
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 2007
  • Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince 2009
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 2010
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 2011

Religion

Asked whether she is religious, Lynch told that she's had to recently figure out her feelings on her Catholic upbringing: "I stopped going to mass a few years ago, mainly because I disagree with the rules," she recalls. "I don't like anything that's about punishing yourself and making you feel bad about yourself, and growing up I felt bad about indulging myself or doing anything for fun."

Politics

Lynch never broadcast her political views.

Views

Evanna Lynch is involved in charitable activities, including participation in the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland, in which she launched their MS Readathon fundraiser in 2010. Lynch is also a member of the Board of Advisors for the non-profit organisation, the Harry Potter Alliance (HPA). With the HPA, she has supported same-sex marriage in Maine, taken part in a webcast fundraiser, written an article about body image and contributed to a fundraising book.

Quotations: "Sometimes, the other characters are too normal and then you start to be brought back to reality but then Luna shows up and she is just so funny and cool and honest and slightly mad and she’s all that matters. She is 100% true. She puts on no shows, because she is so comfortable with herself."

"I'd go to interviews and people would say, 'Describe your style' or 'Who are your favourite designers?' And I'd be like, 'Hello, I'm from Termonfeckin'. I remember feeling like I had to study and learn who these designers were."

"We’re damn lucky to have our bodies, these strange, multi-functional machines, that let us leave our legacy on the planet."

"I promise all Luna fans that I will stay completely true to her because she deserves no less."

"Don’t ever give up. Don’t see the obstacles, just the way around them. For me, of course it looked improbable, but not impossible. So as long as there was a way, I would not be discouraged."

Personality

Lynch has worked to promote healthy self-esteem and body image in young girls because of her previous experiences with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. From the age of 11, Lynch was in and out of rehabilitation clinics for two years. She soon found a connection with the character of Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter book series and was inspired by the character's embracing of her own oddities. Lynch wrote an essay entitled "Why the Body Bind is My Nightmare" in which she describes her emotional struggle with her appearance and how she managed to overcome this through the use of allusions that pertain to the Harry Potter series.

In 2015, Lynch became vegan, and in November 2017, she started a podcast on veganism with, among others, fellow Harry Potter series actor Robbie Jarvis, entitled The ChickPeeps.

Evanna named her cats after Harry Potter characters: she has a cat named Luna and one named Crookshanks. She also had another cat named Dumbledore, now deceased.

Evanna has been sorted into Gryffindor on Pottermore, much to her surprise. She claimed it was the cause of an identity crisis for her.

Physical Characteristics: The actress is 5′ 2¼” (1.58 m) tall and weighs about 115 pounds (52 kg). Other details of her body measurements are 35, 25 and 35 inches respectively for her breasts, waist, and hips. She has light brown eye color and light brown hair.

Quotes from others about the person

• "The others could play Luna; Evanna Lynch is Luna." - David Heyman
  
  "I saw her. [She] got in my head. I even heard her voice when I was writing Luna." - J. K. Rowling

Interests

• making beaded jewellery, yoga, dancing, reading, watching films

• Writers

  Jerry Spinelli, J. K. Rowling

• Music & Bands

  Michael Jackson, Aqualung, Sigur Ros, Regina Spektor, Coco Rosie, Jean Michel Jarre, Ella Fitzgerald, Radiohead, Muse, Death Cab for Cutie

Connections

Evanna Lynch is unmarried. She dated her Harry Potter co-star Robbie Jarvis, who played the teenage version of James Potter in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, from at least April 2015 until late 2016.

Father:

Donal Lynch

Mother:

Marguerite Lynch

Sister:

Emily Lynch

Sister:

Mairead Lynch

Brother:

Patrick Lynch

Acquaintance:

J.K. Rowling

As a child, Lynch read the Harry Potter series and became a fan, sending letters to the author, J. K. Rowling.

colleague:

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Jacob Radcliffe is an English actor and producer. He is known for playing the titular protagonist in the Harry Potter film series, based on the novels by J. K. Rowling.

colleague:

Rupert Green

Rupert Alexander Lloyd Grint is an English actor and producer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Ron Weasley, one of the three main characters in the Harry Potter film series.

colleague:

Emma Watson

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson is an English actress, model, and activist. From 2001 to 2011, she starred in all eight Harry Potter films.

colleague:

Alan Rickman

Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman was an English actor and director. Rickman gained notice for his film performances as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series.

colleague:

David Thewlis

David Thewlis, is an English actor, director, screenwriter, and author. His most commercially successful roles to date have been of Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter film series and Sir Patrick Morgan/Ares in Wonder Woman (2017).

colleague:

Helena Bonham Carter

Helena Bonham Carter is an English actress. She played Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter series (2007–11).

colleague:

Michael Gambon

Sir Michael John Gambon is an Irish-born British character actor who has worked in theatre, television, and film. His most famous role is that of Professor Albus Dumbledore who Gambon played in the final six Harry Potter films.

colleague:

Tom Felton

Thomas Andrew Felton is an English actor and musician. He rose to prominence for his role as Draco Malfoy in the film adaptions of the best-selling Harry Potter fantasy novels by J.K. Rowling.

colleague:

Brendan Gleeson

Brendan Gleeson is an Irish actor and film director. His best-known performances as Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter films.

References

• Focus On: 50 Most Popular 21St-century Irish Actresses