Evanna Patricia Lynch is an Irish actress and model, who rose to fame after playing the role of the quirky dreamer Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film series, as well as her participation in the 2012 musical "A Very Potter Senior Year".
Evanna Lynch
Childhood and youth
The future star of the wizarding world was born on August 16, 1991 in the Irish town of Termonfeckin in County Louth, to Donal and Marguerite Lynch. The actress has two older sisters, Mairead and Emily, and a younger brother, Patrick.
Little Evanna with her mother
When Evanna was 11 years old, she suffered from anorexia and even ended up in the hospital, where doctors had to fight for the girl's life. But even in this condition, Lynch did not think about bitter medicines that she had to take, but about the release of the next book about Harry Potter, which she missed due to the illness.
Evanna has loved the Harry Potter since childhood
The medical staff felt sorry for Evanna and released her to attend an event where she met with writer J.K. Rowling. Lynch was ecstatic, and meeting her idol inspired her to write a letter to Rowling.
Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) First Interview
The girl talked about her health problems and shared her dream of playing a role in the adaptation of the book about the young wizard. The writer supported Evanna and wished her to overcome the illness. Rowling's response inspired the girl, and within 2 years she overcame anorexia.
Evanna Lynch and J.K. Rowling
Evanna's first school years were spent at the National School in Cartown, Termonfeckin, where she studied until 2004. Then she transferred to Our Lady's College, a Catholic girls' grammar school in Drogheda, where her father was deputy principal.
Evanna Lynch with her younger brother
Later, in 2008, the girl attended a summer school for gifted teenagers at the Irish Centre for Talented Youth in Glasnevin, where she studied drama and fantasy literature. In September 2010, she enrolled at the Institute of Education to further enhance her knowledge of art and acting skills.
Acting career
In 2007, Evanna made her acting debut. Hearing about a casting call for a new installment of the "Harry Potter" film series taking place in London, she convinced her father to take her to the auditions.
Casting and audition of Luna Lovegood
The competition was enormous: 15,000 young actresses were vying for the role of Luna Lovegood. Out of all the contenders, Lynch was the one who impressed the writer the most, who personally approved the cast. As J.K. Rowling said, "She really is Luna. That's who she is."
And the producers David Heyman and David Barron decided to cast the actress because they realized that she could easily act spontaneously and unpredictably. The eccentric Luna, the daughter of the editor of the magazine "The Quibbler", needed to be not played, but to become her, which Evanna did brilliantly.
Evanna signing autographs at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Two years later, Evanna Lynch appeared again in the role of Luna in the sixth installment of the "Harry Potter" franchise, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." After the premiere, Michael Dwyer, a journalist for The Irish Times, named her the best Irish actress of 2009. Later, Lynch was nominated for the Scream Award and the Young Artist Award.
The final parts of the Harry Potter series were "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2". In the finale, the storyline of Luna became one of the key ones. She helped defeat the Death Eaters and Voldemort and won the heart of Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis). During filming, Evanna became close with Bonnie Wright, Katie Leung, and Afshan Azad, who played Ginny, Cho, and Padma, respectively.
Evanna Lynch and Matthew Lewis
In 2012, the adventure series "Sinbad" was released, with British actor Elliot Knight playing the main character and the Irish actress being offered the role of Elin - the daughter of the sorceress Taryn. Evanna's appearance was episodic - viewers only saw her in the final episode.
Evanna Lynch in the series Sinbad
The actress recalled the filming of "Sinbad" as follows:
In the same year, Evanna appeared in the lead role in a student short film "It Don't Come Easy" and played Luna Lovegood in the production of "A Very Potter Senior Year".
In 2013, fans saw Lynch in the American comedy "G.B.F." with Michael Willett and Natasha Lyonne in the lead roles. Evanna transformed into a character named McKenzie Price.
A still from G.B.F.
During that period, the actress also conquered the theatrical stage. She played in a play about the illusionist Harry Houdini, transforming into the assistant and wife of the famous American magician.
The year 2015 proved to be a successful one for the actress. Firstly, she appeared in the TV series "Danny and the Human Zoo" portraying the eccentric Bridget Riordan.
With colleagues from the series Danny and the Zoo
Later, audiences were able to enjoy Lynch's work in the Irish drama film "My Name is Emily," where she played the lead role of a girl who runs away from her foster family to free her father from a psychiatric hospital. The film was directed by Simon Fitzmaurice and premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh international film festival.
Evanna in the film My Name Is Emily
Evanna Lynch’s personal life
The personal life of actress Evanna Lynch is as mysterious as that of her character Luna Lovegood. Evanna Lynch is unmarried, and very little is known about her relationships. From 2013 to 2016, she dated actor Robbie Jarvis, who played young James Potter in "Order of the Phoenix."
Evanna Lynch and Robbie Jarvis
In November 2016, the couple announced their breaking up, but they were able to maintain a friendly relationship and even appear together at parties and public events.
Evanna Lynch now
In 2021, Evanna Lynch participated in the filming of a documentary special about the Harry Potter story titled "Return to Hogwarts," which was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the release of the first film about the young wizard. She gladly accepted the invitation and returned to the magical atmosphere of Hogwarts.
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Interview with Evanna Lynch - «Luna Lovegood»
Overall, in recent years, the actress has rarely appeared in films and has focused more on the social aspects of her life. She does not consume meat, advocates for vegetarianism, and is a spokesperson for healthy eco-products created in partnership with the international organization PETA.
In December 2021, Evanna released her autobiography "The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and The Glory of Growing Up". In it, she talks about her battle with anorexia, her time on the set of "Harry Potter", and her adolescent years.
Evanna Lynch Reveals The Story She Doesn’t Want Harry Potter Fans To Hear
Interesting facts
Evanna Lynch successfully used her fame to promote healthy self-esteem and ways to accept one's body among young girls. Having overcome anorexia, she knows firsthand how difficult it is to live with a multitude of complexes and the terrible consequences they can lead to.
Evanna designed and handcrafted various fashionable accessories for the Harry Potter films. One of such were the radish-shaped beaded earrings worn by her character, Luna Lovegood.
Luna and her famous earrings.
The girl is involved in charity work. In 2010, she launched a fundraising campaign for the MS Readathon, an annual sponsored reading event organized by the charity MS Ireland, which encourages children and adults to read as many books as possible. The money raised goes to help people with multiple sclerosis.
Lynch is a member of the advisory board of the non-profit organization Harry Potter Alliance (HPA), which was founded by Andrew Slack in 2005 to draw attention to human rights violations in Sudan. Since then, the organization's activities have focused on issues of literacy, US immigration reform, global economic justice, sexism, climate change, and others.
