Katie Leung on playing Lady Araminta in Bridgerton and coping with sudden fame

Katie Leung is starring as Lady Araminta Gun in the new series of Netflix’s Bridgerton. She said she felt “really seen” to finally play a mother and described Araminta as a steely aristocrat with a complex drive. Leung said Araminta is widowed, has lost two husbands and is intent on marrying off her two teenage daughters while keeping her stepdaughter Sophie in her place.

The showrunners reassured her the role would not be an archetypal evil stepmother and that they wanted to find the character’s humanity by explaining her background and struggles. Leung added that Araminta’s motivation comes from love and protection for her daughters; Leung is herself a mother and said her son has recently turned three.

Leung said she is used to large productions—her first role was Cho Chang in the Harry Potter films—but that the sudden fame early in her career was overwhelming. She described encountering intense online fandom and racist abuse, and said she has learned to keep a healthy distance from the noise around her work and to treat acting more like a job than the whole of life.

After feeling unsure of what came next post-Potter, she studied drama at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and has worked to prove herself beyond that early role. Leung welcomed Bridgerton’s diverse, “colour-conscious” casting and said it made her feel safe, while adding that progress is still needed.

Key Topics

Culture, Katie Leung, Bridgerton, Lady Araminta, Harry Potter, Netflix