Casting director instantly smitten with Evanna

SHE was just one of 15,000 but Evanna Lynch, a girl with no prior professional acting experience, stood out immediately at the open London auditions for the part of Luna Lovegood, it has emerged.

Vanessa Davis, publicist for the Harry Potter film, said that the casting director Fiona Weir was taken with Evanna straightaway.

‘According to Fiona she made an instant impression. She said that there was one girl who just shone and that was Evanna.’

The fourteen-year old said that she was nervous - but only a bit! ‘It wasn’t like a maths test where I have to strain to get it right. I feel very close to Luna so acting her was just natural. And if I had got too nervous I’d have done terribly.’

She recalled how she had to wait in the queue for four hours and then she went in and stood in lines with other girls.

‘We had to step forward and say our name and where we were from and then two ladies would pick one or two out of each line. After that we were told to go into another room and read over a script and try and learn it. And then, one by one we went into another room (alone) and had to read the script with another lady and a man with a camera. They kept asking me to read it again and I was just hoping that was a good sign.’

‘At last they let me go and by then I did feel rather shaky.’

A week later Evanna was thrilled to be called back for a screen test. ‘One week I was in school and the next I’m at Leavesden Studios in Dumbledore’s office reading scenes with Daniel Radcliffe. Weird. And terrifying for such a huge Harry Potter fan.’

Luna Lovegood is a witch in Ginny’s year who is considered a bit weird by her classmates. She is often the butt the jokes and Harry was unsure about her at first.

In her exclusive interview with the Drogheda Independent Evanna pledged to do Luna’s character justice. ‘I promise all Luna fans that I will stay completely true to her because she deserves no less.

‘To the fans who are disappointed in the choice for Luna having seen the photo of me in the papers I would like to say is that this was my first photo shoot and I felt a bit awkward. And you have to remember that this is not how Luna will look in the film at all. So I ask you to please wait and reserve judgement until after you’ve seen the film.’

Click here to read the full interview