Harry Potter Star Furious She Didn’t Get More Screen Time In The Franchise
Bonnie Wright says she was a little disappointed at the amount of screen time given to her character, Ginny Weasley, in the Harry Potter films. “There were parts of the character that just didn’t get to come through because there weren’t the scenes to do that. That made me feel a bit anxious or just frustrated, I guess,” the actress said on the Inside of You Podcast via The Hollywood Reporter.
Wright, who was just nine years old when she joined the Harry Potter film franchise, admitted that her anxiety often got the better of her during filming. “I definitely feel there was anxiety toward performing and doing the best thing as my character built,” she said. “It’s like, ‘Oh gosh, will I do justice to this character that people love?'”
Bonnie Wright was just nine years old when she joined the Harry Potter franchise as Ginny Weasley
“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 films. So you didn’t really have as much to show in the films,” Wright continued. Although Ginny became an important supporting character in the Harry Potter book series, her appearances in the movies were limited.
Wright even mentioned that during auditions, she had to read lines originally meant for Hermione Granger, as her character had no initial dialogue in the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
“The actual line I had in the film, which was one line, was given to me on the day, [and director Chris Columbus] was like, ‘I think you need a line,’ which is my ‘good luck’ to Harry,” she explained.
Since J.K. Rowling was still writing more books in the Harry Potter series at the time of the 2001 film’s release, Wright lacked a clear understanding of what lay ahead for her character. The actress also emphasized that discussions with producers regarding the trajectory of Ginny’s character never happened. “There was just no room for much change in those scripts,” Wright recalled.
Bonnie Wright says parts of the character just didn’t get to come through
“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,” she said about her time on Harry Potter.
In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, Ginny Weasley is portrayed as a prominent character with significant growth and development throughout the story. She is the youngest child and only daughter of the Weasley family, which includes her brothers Ron, Fred, George, Percy, Charlie, and Bill. She is introduced as Ron’s little sister in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Ginny starts out shy and reserved, often blushing in Harry Potter’s presence due to her crush on him. However, as the series progresses, she emerges as a strong-willed, independent young woman. She is an accomplished Quidditch player, a skill that runs strong in the Weasley family, and eventually becomes the Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Ginny’s significance in the story grows notably in the later books. She becomes a member of Dumbledore’s Army, a secret student group formed to fight against the oppressive regime of Dolores Umbridge. Ginny’s determination, magical skill, and fierce spirit make her a vital member of this resistance movement. This aspect of the character was included in the Harry Potter films.
Her romantic involvement with Harry Potter evolves over time, and by the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, she becomes Harry’s love interest. In the midst of the wizarding world’s turmoil, Ginny’s unwavering support for Harry, her bravery, and her contributions to the fight against Voldemort’s forces further underscore her importance in the narrative.
However, in the film adaptations, Ginny’s prominence is notably reduced. While her character’s growth and key moments are depicted, the films don’t capture the same depth and complexity as the books. Some of her most important scenes are condensed or altered, which led to fans feeling that her representation in the movies didn’t do justice to her role in the original books.
During her Inside of You Podcast interview, Wright said that she understands why fans of the books were upset about Ginny’s limited time on screen. “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,'” the actress explained. “And that’s the same with every character. If only they could be five-hour-long movies.”
