Harry's Girl
(October 2005)
Source: Film Review

The first, most surprising thing about Katie Leung is her gentle Scots accent. That and the infectious giggle that punctuates her conversation, a reminder perhaps that she cannot quite believe her good forutnate in landing the plim role of Cho Chang. This is a girl, remember, who never acted in a school play before being cast as the beauty who wins Harry Potter's heart.

"It all happened because my Dad was watching television when this advert came on," she recalls. It said 'if you're a 16 year old girl of Oriental appearance and are British you should try out for Harry Potter.' So he suggested I try it, and I thought 'why not'."

The first audition in London comprised little more than her queuing for four hours before having a Polaroid for future reference. From there followed yet more involved auditons and workshops, with the number of hopefuls being slowly whittled down until, a couple of months later, 17-year-old Leung realized her unlikely ambition might be just within her reach.

"When I met Mike Newell he asked me what drama school I went to," she adds, "and I told him that I'd never acted before. He said 'flipping monkeys', which I clearly remember. That's when I realized I had a chance of getting it."

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