IRISH TATLER COVER PROFILE

Irish Tatler
INTERVIEW

Irish Tatler’s May cover star
Evanna Lynch blossoms out of

Luna Lovegood’s shadow.

COVER STAR

Top, €595, Magda Butrym
@ Brown Thomas; belt,
€12.95, Mango; skirt,
€49.99, H&M

56 IRISH TATLER MAY 2017

As Evanna Lynch steps out of her car and into
the sunshine on a spring day in Dublin, it’s hard
to believe that it’s ten whole years since she first
appeared on our screens as Luna Lovegood. It’s six
since the Harry Potter franchise ended, and yet, to
look at, she is as fresh-faced and youthful as that
first day on screen.
Which you’d think was a good thing, right? When
you’re trying to carve out a career that’s utterly
separate to the character
you’re best known for, it could and she was there for five
years before her recent move
become a bit of a nuisance. back to London. It was a
“I can’t say it’s been a time to learning curve, and one she
made the most of. “I learned
hindrance because it has the whole hustling thing,” she
given me everything. It’s the
whole reason why people are
interested in my career,” she bloom nods vigorously. “After Harry
admits. It has to be noted that Potter, I got into a state of
each time she talks about the just waiting for people to see
Harry Potter days – which things in me,” she admits. “I
was so shy and I didn’t have
she does freely and without to express myself so much
any hint that she is sick of FROM THE WIZARDING before. Going to LA – there

doing so – it is always with WORLD OF HARRY are so many people there, you
a real fondness and warmth. POTTER, TO LA AND have to assert yourself. You
However, there was clearly have to believe in yourself
a bit of a struggle when it
came to distancing Evanna BACK AGAIN, EVANNA more.”
By all accounts, Warner
Lynch from Luna Lovegood Brothers did a pretty excellent
– and, potentially, there still LYNCH TALKS TO job of looking after its child

is. “Even when I go on to IRISH TATLER ABOUT stars. Up until she was 16,
do independent projects like LEAVING LUNA Evanna had a full-time
plays, I get so much support chaperone when she was over
from fans. I know that a lot
of actors have to work their LOVEGOOD BEHIND, in the UK filming (a stranger,
but she and her family got to
whole way up to build that interview them) and when she
sort of following but with CONFRONTING HER turned 16, her 23-year-old
certain roles I do think people FEARS AND FINDING cousin came to live with her
see me in a certain way.” By
‘a certain way’, she means HER INNER WARRIOR. as an adult presence. “That
was, like, the best year of my
a dreamy, teenage, ethereal life. She was so cool and she
oddball, AKA the character
that made her famous and, by BY SHAUNA O’HALLORAN had all these awesome friends
and she would have parties.
some previous admissions in We were in a swanky part of
other interviews, a version of
the real Evanna at that time. Even JK Rowling came London and it was so fun!”
Fending for herself in a competitive place like
out to say that the Luna in the books she wrote LA proved tough – but not so tough that it put
subsequent to Evanna’s casting were informed by
the actor, rather than the other way around. “At her off. Ironically, Evanna ended up getting most
of her work back across the Atlantic, and one of
that age, you’re not your whole self, you know?” her most notable performances yet was (her first)
she muses, adding, “people judge you based on how
you were as a 14-year-old. Irish production, My Name is Emily. In it, she plays
the titular character, a fragile 16-year-old who
“That’s a challenge in itself and it’s exciting for runs away from a foster home. It won her an IFTA
me. I feel like I have the resources to change that,”
she adds, hinting that this might be a new thing. nomination for Lead Actress in 2016 and the film
has just been released on demand in the US to great
Resourceful seems an appropriate word for acclaim. Next up is a lead role in an exciting show
this young actress. After Harry Potter, Evanna
disregarded all advice given to her and followed her on London’s West End. She makes her debut in July
and is already looking forward to rehearsals. She
dream to LA rather than continuing her education, can’t reveal too much, other than it’s by an Irish

writer. “It’s an interesting play and I find it really
romantic. It can be bleak at times and it is sort of
violent. It’s about soulmates who have this urge to

MAY 2017 IRISH TATLER 57

5680 IRISH TATLER AMPARYIL22001177

mess up everything around them.”
It is, she asserts, a piece of work her family will
be able to get on board with. “I come from a book
family. All teachers. My mum and dad are both
teachers, my sister is now a teacher. Reading and
knowing things was always valued very highly in
our house, which I love,” she tells me. “They’re not
very artistic though…they struggle to see the arts as
a real job,” she admits. Hailing from a rural outpost newest project, a vegan podcast, through which she
hopes to gently engage a mainstream audience into
in County Louth, the nearest town to Evanna a new way of thinking. She identifies as an activist
growing up was Termonfeckin (a place name that
delights her LA agent to no end when we are liaising, on the subject, but positions herself very firmly as
non-judgmental, should nay-sayers try to box her in
pre-interview) and the visibility of movie actors as such. “I wanted to do a podcast that’s not about
in real life was pretty minimal. “The biggest myth
about acting is that it’s not a real job. That you have being a purest vegan it’s about making small steps
and doing as much as you can.
to be lucky to get it, that’s the “I would say that I have
thing that really bothers me,”
she insists. “This is a craft.” very strong beliefs but gentle
“People have a sense that actions. I read a lot of articles
“I STARTED TO FEEL and news from some radical
you should have to suffer for A BIT LIKE THAT vegan organisations and I
your job. You have to hate it
a little bit or at least have a I WAS ONLY THIS don’t think they work for
everyone. I think when most
love/hate relationship with it people read that stuff it
whereas I just love it. Anytime ONE CHARACTER… makes them feel shame – and

I can do an acting job, it is EVERYONE WOULD BE a lot of organisations do try
the best feeling in the world. I
still struggle with that, when I LIKE, ‘I LOVE YOU AS to shame – it doesn’t matter
what the message is, nobody
think that I don’t deserve to be wants to be told that they’re
doing this or that it’s not real L U N A’. Y O U F E E L T H AT bad or that they’re doing the

work.” YOU HAVE TO STAY wrong thing or that they’re
Stage plays and literary AS THAT CHARACTER ‘butchering innocent beings’.
No one wants to hear that, so
pieces with beautiful writing
are the projects her family can
best get on board with, she BECAUSE YOU DON’T they will just go to someone
else who isn’t telling them that
says. “When I get plays, they and then they won’t listen to
get excited,” she smiles, wryly. WANT TO DISAPPOINT the message at all. I think it’s

“They think, ‘Oh great, that’s PEOPLE. I HAD THIS about meeting people where
very respectable writing!’
“But they are really proud. FEAR THAT IF I WAS they’re at.”
Among her guests, Evanna
My mum was so proud of My hopes to discuss the issue
Name is Emily, I think she saw ONLY MYSELF OR with people who have been

it, like, eight times. For a while IF I WAS ANOTHER long-time vegans to those
every time I would ring her CHARACTER THEN who are keen to give it a try,
she would be like, ‘I’m just off and will talk about everything
out the door to see My Name
is Emily’.” PEOPLE JUST AREN’T from how easy (or not) it is
to adapt your life to making
A love of books isn’t the ethical fashion choices and
only thing her rural family GOING TO CARE” beyond.

bestowed upon her. There was Not only has becoming
also a deep love of animals and respect for life in the
home – something that perhaps eventually led to her vegan cleaned up her lifestyle and fit in with her
beliefs, it’s given her a new-found confidence with,
other passion in life and one that has sparked the and love of, food. “Before I went vegan, I was not a
activist in her. A long-time vegetarian, Evanna took
the plunge and went vegan three years ago and now foodie at all. I would find it such an inconvenience
that I would get hungry three times a day. I was just
she hopes to spread the word. “I was a vegetarian like: food is fuel, get it out of the way. Since I went
for ethical reasons but I always thought, milk
doesn’t hurt the cow, eggs don’t hurt…but then I vegan, I’ve had to get passionate about it. You have
to add things in before you take things out.
learned a lot more and realised that that is so untrue “I had an eating disorder in my teens. My mother
and also that all those animals do go into slaughter,
so I was supporting things I didn’t like.” said to me that I always had this weird kind of
relationship with food and she was so glad to see
After adapting to her vegan lifestyle – and reading that it has changed now. It’s about more than just
vociferously and thoroughly on the subject in the
meantime – Evanna has been working towards her keeping me healthy, now it’s about my ethics and
my beliefs.
“Activism is not judgement; activism is making
people think. It’s about making them realise that

MAY 2017 IRISH TATLER 59

60 IRISH TATLER MAY 2017

This page and opposite:
earring, €895, Oscar De
La Renta @ Loulerie;
dress, €225, Maje @
Brown Thomas

MAY 2017 IRISH TATLER 61

Outfit, as before

PHOTOGRAPHY by
Naomi Gaffey
STYLING by
Corina Gaffey
PHOTOGRAPHY
ASSISTED by
Ken McAuliffe
STYLING ASSISTED by
Brian Lyng
MAKEUP by Christine
Lucignano using
BOURJOIS Healthy Mix
Collection
HAIR by David Cashman
NAILS by Pamela Laird
using Sally Hansen
Miracle Gel

Shot on location at The
Botanic Gardens, Dublin;
botanicgardens.ie

62 IRISH TATLER MAY 2017

this is what they’re supporting and asking: are you
okay with this?”
Her newfound activist identity is something
she has in common with Potter co-star and UN
Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson, or
just Emma, as she refers to her casually, since they
are still in touch. “She’s amazing and she’s lovely.
She invited me to the screening of Beauty and the
Beast just recently, so I do see her and I saw them all
[the rest of the cast] at the Studio Tour a few weeks
ago.” Evanna’s referring to the recent expansion of addiction. It’s a very privileged addiction to have but
sometimes, the thrill of having bought something
London’s visitor attraction the Harry Potter Studio would wear off as soon as I opened it and I would
Tour – to this day, the cast of the films are still on the
promotional wheel with Warner Brothers. “I kind of just send it straight back. It was then that I was like,
this is really unhealthy. It would be when I felt out of
use those opportunities to hone my public image and control of my life and I needed something external
show the distinction between me and my character.
Because you do get such great publicity from those to make me happy. Like any addiction.”
“And then I got a cat and I met my boyfriend.
kinds of events. Even still, to this day, when I do Both of which helped,” she adds lightly, proving
a Harry Potter post it’s my
most liked thing.” Liked, that that her self-awareness hasn’t
spoiled her sense of humour.
is, in a social media sense. The boyfriend in question is a
“It’s so cool to get tweets
from mothers of their “I GET TWEETS musician and actor who goes
daughters dressed up as Luna by the singular name Andel.
Lovegood and I’m like wow, They met in LA and, as he’s
SOMETIMES FROM still there, the relationship is

that is so amazing; I got to MOTHERS OF now a long distance one. Last
originate that. And that there November, she announced
are little girls who are dressing
up as Luna Lovegood and not THEIR DAUGHTERS that she had split from fellow
as Kim Kardashian.” Potter star Robbie Jarvis (who
DRESSED UP AS LUNA played the teenage James

Even with all the fondness, LOVEGOOD AND I’M Potter), also a fellow vegan.
Evanna is very careful to “My boyfriend is a total meat-
assert herself outside of her
character; there’s an element LIKE, ‘WOW, THAT IS SO eater,” she confesses. “He
of protecting herself to the AMAZING THAT I GOT really challenges me on these
distinction. “I’ve had to pull things and I have to think
away from conventions. I more. I have certain rules like
TO O R I G I N AT E T H AT.’ he’s not allowed to eat baby

used to be asked to do them AND THAT THERE ARE animals when I’m around, so
a lot. I started to feel like I no lamb. But he always goes
was only this one character. L I T T L E G I R L S W H O A R E to vegan restaurants with
Everyone would be like, ‘I love me as well.”
you as Luna’ and then you feel DRESSING UP AS LUNA Long-distance and meat-

that you have to stay as that LOVEGOOD AND NOT eating aside, the relationship
character because you don’t is a loving one – certainly
want to disappoint people.
“I definitely have this fear AS KIM KARDASHIAN” if each other’s gushing
Instagram posts are anything
that if I’m only myself or if I’m to go by (@msevylynch
another character then people
just aren’t going to care.” and @officialandel). “It’s
about: I like this person better than everyone else
It’s a truth-bearing that comes naturally to and they bring something to my life. I’m all about
Evanna, and I can see that she’s done a lot of work
bolstering her sensitive nature to deal with the relationships being a real friendship. Checking every
day seeing how they are and just having a best friend
sometimes flawed industry that is celebrity. There that you can really talk to.”
are other sides to her character too, that have
struggled in recent times, that she is gladly getting Sounds like the perfect finishing touch to the fresh
new start for Evy Lynch. For now, my ear is to the
to grips with. “I have a real problem with online ground awaiting her podcast series and I’m excited
shopping,” she says, and I realise that it runs a little
deeper than your average obsession with filling a to see what she brings to the stage this summer. And
while Luna Lovegood will always hold a dear space
basket. “I had to get my ex-boyfriend to IP-block in her heart, Evanna is ready to move on and start a
Asos, Net-a-Porter, Free People and so many other
ones,” she continues. whole new chapter.

“I was on all the VIP best shopper lists. Some
people thought it was a great thing, but I was
so embarrassed. But I definitely do think it’s an

MAY 2017 IRISH TATLER 63