Bonnie Wright, who rose to fame as Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter movie franchise, has recently opened up about her disappointment regarding her character’s lack of screen time. In a candid interview on Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, the 32-year-old actress revealed that she shared the same sentiment as fans who felt that Ginny was underserved in the films.
Wright was only 9 years old when she was cast as Ginny, the younger sister of Ron Weasley and future wife of Harry Potter. While her character had a significant role in the books, Wright expressed her frustration that Ginny’s storylines were trimmed down in the movies, resulting in limited opportunities for her to showcase the depths of her character.
“I definitely feel there was anxiety toward performing and doing the best thing as my character built,” Wright shared. “Like, Oh gosh, will I do justice to this character that people love? So that was always hard to do, especially when, inevitably, a lot of the scenes of every character were chopped down from the book to the film. So you didn’t really have as much to show in the film. Sometimes that was a little disappointing because there were parts of the character that just didn’t get to come through because there weren’t the scenes to do that.”
The actress confessed that she often felt anxious and frustrated due to the circumstances. The pressure to portray a beloved character correctly combined with the limited material she had to work with weighed on her throughout the filming process.
Wright reminisced about the early days on set, revealing that her character initially didn’t have any lines in the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001). She recalled that her first line, which was just a single line, was given to her on the day of shooting as an afterthought. Director Chris Columbus decided to give Ginny a line to deliver, saying, “I think you need a line,” which turned out to be Ginny’s “good luck” wish to Harry. The scarcity of scenes for her character sometimes led Wright to read lines intended for Hermione, as there were no other scenes for Ginny at the time.
During the initial years, Wright had no idea that her character would eventually become the wife of Harry Potter, as the Harry Potter series was still being written. She revealed that she didn’t have discussions with producers about Ginny having a larger role because there was limited room for change in the tightly crafted scripts. Wright explained, “There were a million executives going through them all. I think what I maybe took, which I don’t take so much to heart now, is I kind of felt that maybe my anxiety was about, Oh, I’m going to be seen as badly portraying this character, rather than later realizing that I wasn’t really given the opportunity to do that. So it wasn’t really my fault, exactly.”
However, despite her personal disappointments, Wright acknowledged that fans have been incredibly supportive and understanding. She shared that when fans express their disappointment, they do so in a way that separates her from the limitations of the script. “When fans do share that disappointment… they do it in a way that is like, ‘We know it wasn’t you. We just wanted more of you,'” Wright said. “And that’s the same of every character. If only they could be five-hour-long movies.”
Last year, Wright had the opportunity to reunite with her Harry Potter co-stars for a Max special to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first film. The special brought back cherished memories and reignited the Harry Potter magic for both the cast and fans. Additionally, a new Harry Potter TV series has been announced, although details regarding casting and specific plotlines are yet to be revealed.
As Bonnie Wright reflects on her time in the Harry Potter franchise, she recognizes the limitations placed on her character. Nevertheless, she remains grateful for the support of the Harry Potter fan community and continues to carve out her own path in the entertainment industry.