Evanna Lynch, who is best known for playing Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film franchise, launched the Bord Gáis Energy Student Theatre Awards this week. We caught up with her to chat about the role that catapulted her to fame, her friendship with J.K. Rowling and her favourite Disney Princess...                                                                                                              The Bord Gáis Energy Student Theatre Awards I just love anything that promotes drama and the arts in school because I know back when I was in school, it wasn’t seen as something that you study and this is now my career and I kind of wish I had had the chance to hone those skills and actually embrace that passion. It was something I had to pursue on my own so it’s just really inspiring to see that movement and say that this is a thing. I felt when I was growing up that the view was ‘get a real job and be practical.’ And really you can make work out of this and a career out of the art that you love. Being an Actress My parents were teachers so they wanted something sensible. My mam still doesn’t understand this industry and it’s that mind-set where as soon as you’re not working, you’re failing and the acting industry is so different in that there’s ups and downs the whole time. My parents were great, they sent me to drama classes and they listened to so many poems and monologues over the years! But I think in Ireland, our mind-set is so practical. I have a lot of friends and there was a lot of fear to embrace  the risks and there are risks any jobs, although more so in the arts. It’s the passion that drives you, that’s the advice I got from the older actors on Harry Potter. Like they didn’t try to teach us but one or two of them did say to me ‘make sure you want it, make sure this is what you want because you won’t get anywhere if you doubt yourself.’ Evanna launched the Bord Gáis Energy Student Theatre Awards this week. Her Next Film I’m working on a film here, my first Irish film, which I’m very excited about although I can’t say very much about it. It’s my first lead and I absolutely love it. We’ve been in Wicklow and all over the place for pre-production and rehearsals. It’s like a teen road movie with a lot of Irish actors and an Irish director although the other lead is English. It is romantic but not in a traditional way, it's more about her journey. Being a Lead Like any actress, I’d love to have more lead roles. To have that kind of responsibility is both intimidating and very exciting. I feel privileged that I’ve gotten to be in the shadows a little bit because you learn so much being in that environment but you don’t have the nerves or anxiety. I am easing into it and figuring out how to play that role. It’s not just the acting roles. I found that on the set of Harry Potter with Dan (Daniel Radcliffe), Em (Emma Watson) and Rupert (Grint). They were so generous with themselves. They weren’t the kind of actors that would just go into their trailers and shut everyone out and they really loved what they were doing. Moving to LA I went  there and everyone was saying I was mad and that it was so competitive but I really wanted to be rejected and I want to feel like it is hard. I got a lucky break and that's unusual. I have the Irish mentality that I should feel like I earned it. I felt like I couldn’t enjoy it because it came that easy so I knew it would be tough. I guess I didn’t realise how much I’d have to push myself out there. In LA, they’re not looking at you, you have to present yourself. You have to want to connect with people and they wanted to see me a certain way and part of me didn’t want that. You can either say ‘they don’t like me and screw them’ or say ‘I’m going to show them something different.’ Dealing with an Eating Disorder I feel grateful that all that stuff happened to me before I moved to LA. I was 10 or 11 when that happened and I think if I hadn’t gone through that, the pressure would have affected me more. That’s the thing with eating disorders, the biggest step is deciding to recover. You just have to keep making that decision every single day. I’m very strong-willed and I think it’s more admirable to be someone like J.K. Rowling who’s known for her talent and compassion. Being brave is what you want to aspire to. That’s something that Harry Potter ingrained in me. The actress has developed a close friendship with J.K. Rowling over the years. Her Friendship with J.K. Rowling We’ve written to each other since I was 11 and we just never stopped. So I write to her still. I see her as such a role model, in her writing and the way she deals with her fame and her fans. I really admire the balance she has and when she’s talking to you, she’s really talking to you, not looking around for someone else. It’s a really amazing quality for someone like her. I carry her letters around with me, they’re the one thing I can’t lose. Those letters changed my life. They really changed my perspective on everything and made me look at things really positively. Over the years, we’ve developed more of a friendship and we talk about things that are going on in our lives. She’s so generous with her heart and her soul and I think it’s really amazing considering that she has had people betray her. Getting the Role of Luna Lovegood It was just so overwhelming. I couldn’t believe that I was being given the chance to be a part of this thing that I had idolised for so long and yearned to be a part of. I grew up loving the books and that then translated onto the films and I just couldn’t believe that they were going to let me be involved in all that and I was going to get to put my little stamp on it. Doing Another Film Franchise I’d love to and I love watching television series. I just got a Netflix account! I loved Breaking Bad. In film, you don’t get that luxury of allowing the characters to develop so slowly. It’s so natural. I think in films, characters do things that are a bit jarring and it’s packed into an hour and a half. I really want them to make the Artemis Fowl movies and there’s a character in there that I loved since I was about 12. At the time I was like, I’m too young... and now I’m almost too old! Her Favourite Disney Princess Ariel. One hundred per cent because I love that combination of innocence and determination. She doesn’t let anyone deter her from her dream and she never becomes cynical about it. She really defies all the obstacles. She doesn’t even have feet and she wants to be a human. That’s as wild as dreams get and I love that she never loses that innocence or heart or belief. And she’s fun as well. Oh and she has great hair! Evanna as Luna Lovegood alongside Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. Evanna Lynch launched the Bord Gáis Energy Student Theatre Awards this week. This is the second year of the awards which have been set up by Bord Gáis Energy to recognise and reward participation in drama in schools across Ireland. Open to primary school students from 3rd – 6th class and all students in secondary school, this year’s awards have been expanded and will feature 11 categories including best performance in a leading role, best director, best musical, best costumes and best set design. The deadline for entries is 12th January 2015 and shortlisted schools will be invited to a special awards ceremony at The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on Wednesday 4th March 2015 where selected schools will perform on stage and winning schools will share a prize fund of up to €10,000.