'Harry Potter' series veteran Katie Leung said she was told to deny racist attacks from online fans

By Stephen Iervolino

Katie Leung, who played Cho Chang in the "Harry Potter" franchise, is opening up about alleged racists comments aimed at her while she was working on the film series.

On an episode of the podcast "Chinese Chippy Girl," Leung said she was 16 years old when she was first cast in "Goblet of Fire." Soon after she experienced the attacks.

"I was Googling myself at one point, and I was on this website, which was kind of dedicated to the hardcore Harry Potter fandom ... and, yeah, it was a lot of racist s---," she shared.

Leung played Chang in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" Part 1 and 2.

Leung, now 33, said the alleged racist comments "really affected" her.

She said, "Because I'm 16, I'm a teenager, I care what people in school think of me, let alone what the world thinks!"

Warner Bros.

Katie Leung portrays Cho Chang in the "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire".

Leung said she was unprepared for that kind of flak. Making matters worse was the response from her representatives, she said.

"I remember them saying, 'Oh, look Katie, we haven't seen these, these websites that people are talking about. And you know, if you get asked that, just say it's not true. Say it's not happening."

She went on, "And I just nodded my head. I was like, 'OK, OK,' even though I had seen it myself with my own eyes. I was like, 'OK, yeah, I'll just say everything’s great. I was really f------ grateful that I was in the position I was in. I keep saying, 'Oh I wish I’d maybe said something.' But you can't do that."