Harry Potter star Evanna Lynch explains why she's 'shut out the world' in new message to fans
Evanna Lynch, best known for her role as Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film series, has shared a life update with fans.
It's been two years since the Irish actor was in the spotlight, as she took to social media to defend JK Rowling's comments on the trans community.
Lynch, 33, was one of the only stars from the franchise to support Rowling, and while she didn't agree with her comments, she didn't criticise them.
The likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint actively spoke out against the British author, in a move that Rowling said she could not forgive.
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Rowling's latest comments on the topic were last month, where she answered a question about an actor/actress that 'instantly' ruins a film for her, saying they could have 'three guesses' in a hint towards the famous Wizarding World trio.
But now, Lynch took to Instagram in a return to social media, revealing that she had been writing a novel.
The actress said in her announcement on Instagram: "I’ve just launched a Substack called ‘Penfriendship’ as a way to connect with my followers again," adding that she'd been away for a few months and would now be posting consistently on Substack.
In her first post, published on 1 April, she wrote: "Basically, I took a long holiday from being myself. I just got sick of her... Last year I ran out of energy to keep up that persona and so 2024 brought about a big energetic shift."
She went on to reveal that she went off the grid, turning down job opportunities, not texting people back, dyeing her hair and more during the actress' time off.
Years following her split from Harry Potter co-star Robbie Jarvis, Lynch admitted: "I live in London with my partner, Den, and our animals. Den is a gardener and I’m writing at the moment."
In the honest admission, she also said that she isn't afraid of saying 'no' to things anymore, gaining a sense of self-confidence and owning her decisions.
"I am finally pushing myself out of the nice little comfort zone that I’ve been in for the past couple years," she explained.
"Life offline has been so nice that I’m in danger of never coming back."
But after getting 'the itch' to be part of 'things outside her realm', Lynch highlighted that she's back online, and even encouraged fans to send her DMs on Substack for her to answer.
Lynch initially disappeared from the public eye after commenting on Rowling's comments around gender beliefs, which have long been criticised by supporters of the LGBTQ+ community.
Back in 2023, Lynch said to The Telegraph: "I think it’s important that J.K. Rowling has been amplifying the voices of de-transitioners."
De-transitioners are people who have transitioned, but choose to reverse the process.
But in an interview with MailOnline later that year, she admitted that she didn't expect a backlash from the public, calling it 'a big wake-up call'.
Following Rowling's initial comments, Evanna defended the author while also noting: "I won’t be helping to marginalise trans women and men further."
She added: "I think it’s irresponsible to discuss such a delicate topic over Twitter through fragmented thoughts and I wish Jo wouldn’t.
"That said, as a friend and admirer of Jo I can’t forget what a generous and loving person she is."
The following year, a fan suggested that Radcliffe and Watson would apologise to Rowling and that she would forgive them, which she denied.
"Not safe, I'm afraid," she began.
"Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women's hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single-sex spaces."
Topics: Harry Potter, JK Rowling, Social Media, Celebrity
Joshua Nair