The Joy of Being Luna Lovegood

Evanna Lynch seems to have been born to play Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter's quirky, preternaturally serene witch friend, in the film series based on J.K. Rowling's best-selling novels.

A die-hard fan of the Rowling books, the Irish actress came to open auditions and beat out 15,000 girls to win the role in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2007), then reprised it in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2009).

Now, talking to Lynch after several hours of watching her shoot scenes for the two-part final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," it's tough to figure out where Lovegood ends and Lynch begins.

"The character was easy to find, definitely," the 19-year-old actress says, standing beside the Malfoy Manor cellar set at Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire, England. "But we're quite different _ and I would really aspire to be more like her, because I love that she can tune out. I've learned a lot from her, because you can't change anything. No matter what, it's going to happen.

"Sure, people may die and that's really worrying," Lynch continues, "but getting upset about it will only make it worse. I love how she's really adjusted to death. She's more spiritual than the others. It's not going to ruin her life, thinking about what's going to happen."

Part 2 of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will open around the world on July 15. It finds Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) staging his ultimate showdown with Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), and among those standing by him are Luna, Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright). Luna didn't have much to do in the first film, but figures far more prominently in the second.

"She's kidnapped for half of it," Lynch says of "Part 1" with Luna-like matter-of-factness. "She's really not a plot device at all, not of much use in the first film, but it's really interesting when you meet her and her dad together, because it all makes sense, all of a sudden."

Dad, of course, is Xenophilius Lovegood, the eccentric editor of The Quibbler. Rhys Ifans plays Xenophilius, a Dumbledore partisan who, after Voldemort's Death Eaters snatch Luna, is compelled to attack Harry in the pages of The Quibbler.

"I love being on set with Rhys," Lynch says, her blue eyes widening with excitement. "We're both dressed in bright yellow. Compared to everyone else we already felt like outsiders, and I really like that.

"I'm far more involved in Film 2," she continues. "Being in Ravenclaw, that becomes really significant because she knows about the Diadem of Ravenclaw, which is one of the horcruxes. And Harry knows nothing about it _ he hasn't ever been in the Ravenclaw common room or anything, and I think that's where he's planning to go. And Luna tells him about the Grey Lady.

"Also, I think this film is so, so inventive, one thing after the other," Lynch says. "There are so many people and so many things happening. Every time Luna comes on, you just forget about the plot. She's not really in tune with what's going on or what's happening next. She doesn't worry, she's just there.

"I always find it a huge relief, the Luna moments, because she'll say something and, for a few seconds, you forget what's going on. That's what I got when I read the books. And she helps Harry along."

OK, but back to Ifans ...

"I love him," Lynch says. "When I heard it was him, I just didn't place him at first as Xenophilius, because everyone says, `Isn't he so young?' And I guess he is. But he was brilliant. He's well known, but he comes onto the set and he's cool and he's sort of unassuming. He'll just start strolling around by himself. I loved that.

"Some of our actors can be really intimidating, with their presence, and he wasn't," the young actress continues. "When we were both in our costumes, I felt really at home with him. Playing Luna, it's so much fun, but I get the sense _ even though I'm not Luna and people know that _ that I need to stay back a bit. Maybe it's just me playing the part. But with Rhys I was just relaxed. It was great.

"I started calling him my dad, and my own dad got really offended."

Prior to joining the Hogwarts world, Lynch had acted only in a few school plays back home in the small village of Termonfeckin, Ireland. Now, thanks to the magical platform provided by the internationally popular Harry Potter adventures, she is giving serious thought to pursuing acting as a career.

"I really, really have learned so much here," Lynch says. "I have grown so much, I think. I used to be so shy, and this forces you to open yourself up. So I'd love to.

"I was thinking about this lately," she continues. "Everyone is trying to understand everyone else, and you're trying to be modest because, when you think you're right when you're in your own head, how can you accept other people's points of view? I think that's why I love acting, because you have to force yourself to be in someone else's head. And the longer I've played Luna, the more I've learned about her, and I take on some of that.

"I don't want to do acting exclusively," Lynch says, "but definitely I love it. And I love meeting all the people."

©2010 Ian Spelling

Distributed by The New York Times Syndicate