This Is What Happened To Ginny Weasley From Harry Potter
What Harry Potter fan doesn't wish they had a family just like the Weasleys? They're big, they're boisterous, they're super ginger, and they take Harry Potter in like he's one of their own.
And while Harry adores the Weasleys from the outset, in the end he officially joins the lovable brood for good after the bright and beautiful Ginny Weasley steals the young wizard's heart. Played by English actress Bonnie Wright in the Harry Potter films, Ginny grows from a vulnerable young lass into a fierce and formidable witch, becoming a valuable asset for the powers of good. Take that, Voldemort!
Wright's no longer the young ginger that she was when she first appeared in Harry Potter all those years ago; she's now a multi-faceted young woman with an impressive résumé. So what has she been up to now that she's graduated from Hogwarts? Has she been involved in anything as landmark as Harry Potter? And what are her plans for the future? Here's everything we know about the girl who played Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter.
Before she played Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter, she was just a 'very curious' kid
Bonnie Wright's real-life upbringing wasn't exactly parallel to Ginny Weasley's in the Harry Potter movies. For one, she grew up in urban London, whereas the Weasley clan lived in the Burrow. And while Ginny Weasley has a bunch of brothers, Wright only has one in real life. But despite the difference of their families' sizes, Wright can still relate to the Weasley brood. "I think I came from a family much like them; not massively materialistic, just a comfortable, warm home," she shared in Interview magazine. Plus, she noted that her family has no shortage of humor, which is another big similarity between the two clans.
As far as Wright's childhood interests go, she felt pulled toward storytelling in its many forms right out of the gate — long before she became an actress. "[The] desire to tell a story was something I loved as a kid. Recounting things, or putting on little performances," she mused in an interview with The S Life Mag. "I was a very curious child." So, it only makes sense that Wright found her home in the entertainment industry, where she's able to put that creativity to work every day.
Bonnie Wright's real-life Ron told her to audition for Harry Potter's Ginny Weasley
How did Bonnie Wright land her dream role as Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter, which every lady ginger in London would have died for? Turns out it's all thanks to her older brother — her real-life Ron — who was the first person to encourage her to audition. "He'd already become a fan of the books and obviously he saw me as his younger sister, his Ginny," she recalled at a panel at Dallas Fan Days in 2015. "And we heard they were doing these auditions and they were going to make these books into films. He was like, 'Oh, you should go and audition for the role of Ginny.'" Kudos to him for the push!
After that, her destiny was set: 9-year-old Wright and her family managed to secure her an audition, even though they were not involved at all with the film industry. And while the role of Ginny Weasley was small in the first film, she got it, ran with it, and made it her own. And we all know what happened next!
Bonnie Wright spent a decade on set as Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter movies
By the time that the last Harry Potter film wrapped and the credits rolled, Bonnie Wright was ten years older than when she started. Can you imagine spending a full decade on set? That's a long time.
Those years were utterly formative for Wright, who had matured immensely while filming. "I'm so respectful and understand those 10 years on Harry Potter were the foundation of my life," the Ginny Weasley actress mused in an interview with The Telegraph. "It was seminal to my growing up." We can only imagine!
And although she literally came of age in front of the whole world (which was likely difficult for her), learning about filmmaking on the Harry Potter sets gave Wright a game-changing education. "Looking back, what I loved about those films is that everyone, from the cinematographer to the set designer, were at the top of their field," she shared in an interview with The Guardian. "To watch people for whom the craft of film-making was so important — that stayed with me." Sounds pretty darn magical.
Bonnie Wright left Hogwarts and Harry Potter's Ginny Weasley behind
After all that time on the Harry Potter sets as Ginny Weasley, learning as she went, Bonnie Wright decided to officially take the next step in building and expanding her film education. Free from the Harry Potter franchise, she was able to chase her creative ambitions and enroll in college. "I'm studying film and television in London," she revealed to Interview magazine in 2011. "I kind of went towards that: the idea of writing, storytelling, all the different things that go behind film." After being on that set, who wouldn't want to learn how to make movies?
Even though she obviously learned a lot while filming Harry Potter — certainly a lot more than your average Jane could know — school remained a longtime goal for her. "I always wanted to go to art school, and it's one of the big art schools of London," she continued. "So that was a dream that I completed." Good for you, girl!
Wright finished school at the London College of Communication in 2012, according to the university website.
Post-Harry Potter projects for the Ginny Weasley actress
Bonnie Wright may be best known for playing Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter series, but she's acted in a variety of other roles, too. In 2013, she played Rose in The Sea, an Irish drama. That same year, she acted as Georgina in After the Dark (previously called The Philosophers), which was shot on location in Jakarta, according to Interview magazine. She also played Phoebe in the drama Before I Sleep, making 2013 a good year for her film acting résumé. Top it off with her work in the stage play The Moment of Truth that year, and you know she was busy.
In 2014, Wright voiced Connie in the family holiday comedy My Dad Is Scrooge, and was Little Girl Bandit in the short How (Not) to Rob a Train. Then in 2015, she played Mia in Sweat, another short film, and starred in Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg?, a summer camp-themed project.
Also on Wright's acting résumé is her portrayal of Nell in a Scottish version of A Christmas Carol and Zoe in Those Who Wander. Who knew she was so versatile?
How the big screen's Ginny Weasley keeps herself centered
Over the years, Bonnie Wright has had to become more mindful of her wellness because of her ever-demanding career. It's understandable, as the entertainment industry can be notoriously hard on the body. For example, when she was acting, there was no such thing as a sick day. "It was difficult, and there were long hours," she revealed in an interview with The S Life Mag. "If I wasn't feeling well and said, 'Oh I don't want to film today,' they'd be like, 'That's impossible because the set costs a million pounds [a] day.'" Yeah, no pressure there!
Even though the actress best known for playing Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter movies doesn't act as much anymore, her life still requires travel and has routine disruptions. So to cultivate wellness, she's turned to yoga and meditation and she's used food as medicine — which helped her beat an illness. "I fell upon food as the last resort to help me get well from something that I had tried every single Western Medicine remedy to cure," she continued. And when it worked, that changed her perspective for good. "I suddenly had new appreciation for food, and I feel extremely grateful for it," she added.
Harry Potter star Bonnie Wright has her own production company
The really big news about Bonnie Wright is the work she's been doing behind the camera, rather than in front of it. She even has her own production company, named BonBonLumière, which she founded back in 2012 — what a boss!
That same year, the actress behind Harry Potter's Ginny Weasley also made her directorial debut with Separate We Come, Separate We Go, which she conceived and wrote, according to her website. After that, many projects have followed, including two music videos, a documentary short, and a short film about a woman having a menopausal midlife crisis. Plus, according to The Guardian, Wright has plans to make a full-length film in the future. We'll be waiting, Bonnie!
While Wright may consider being in front of the camera again in the future, directing is her true passion. "Film is a very empowering tool. [Its] main draw, for me, is that basic concept of storytelling," she revealed in an interview with The Telegraph. "I've gone back to basics. Making my films with a small crew was the way I brought it back down to earth." It's awesome to see a woman owning her career like that!
This Harry Potter actress is saving the planet
When it comes to making the world a better place, Bonnie Wright has shown some real commitment to several different causes. For one, the actress who played Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter movies ultra passionate about taking care of the ocean and has been outspoken about the importance of cutting down on the plastics that pollute it. "Recycling on its own is clearly not enough as our plastic waste has done lasting damage to our beautiful oceans, and the wildlife that lives in them," she penned in an op-ed in Teen Vogue. To that end, she joined up with Greenpeace and sailed on the Arctic Sunrise ship to learn more about the cause — and help spread awareness.
However, that's not her only area of concern. She's also worked with Oxfam, helping regions threatened by famine and flooding by making videos to spread awareness, according to the London Evening Standard. She's also teamed up with FilmAid, which works to empower refugees around the world, as noted on a post on her Instagram page. That's real activism in action!
The actress behind Harry Potter's Ginny Weasley moved to Los Angeles... but not for her career
It seems like all famous actors, screenwriters, and directors have to live in Los Angeles at some point or another, no matter where they're from.
But when Ginny Weasley herself made the move to SoCal in 2016, her motives were surprisingly not job-oriented. "I don't think I chose to make the move for career purposes — in reality, I think I just wanted more space," she shared in an interview with Into The Gloss. Bonnie Wright added that she chose LA as it's completely different from London, where she grew up, and she's curious about how her new surroundings will impact her development. And yes, she knows she's getting a lot more sun!
So far, it's been a good experience for her with regard to her productivity. "I think I get more done here," the former Harry Potter star continued. "There's more mental space." Hopefully that means we'll see new work from Wright soon!
Bonnie Wright's doing more commercial work since playing Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter
In 2017, Bonnie Wright decided that she was ready to explore some additional career options years after playing Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter, outside of the work she does with her production company. To that end, she ended up diversifying her directing portfolio, and has quite enjoyed the shift. "I think more and more now I'm getting into directing work that is, I guess, more of a sort of job in the sense that last year was the first year I directed commercials," she shared in an interview with Morning Matcha. "It's an interesting new step in my career in the sense that I'm more, sort of, pitching for jobs that need to be done, and that's a really interesting new world..."
While Wright still has her production company and does creative work, she appreciates some of the benefits of commercial work. "You sometimes do want someone to tell you what to do, or someone to say yes or no," she continued. That does sound like a bit of a break from making all of the executive decisions all the time.
The actress known as Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter launched her own swimsuit line
Bonnie Wright took a new step with her environmental activism in 2019 when she designed and debuted a swimsuit line. Each suit was made out of recycled plastic bottles, and 15 percent of sales were donated to the environmental non-profit Heal the Bay, according to a post on her Instagram page. That's a pretty innovative way to recycle plastic!
The suits weren't just plain Jane, either, as the actress who played Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter was very intentional with her designs. "I was inspired by Japanese and Chinese indigo prints for both the pattern and color of the collection," she wrote on the Fair Harbor website (via Daily Mail). "The pattern itself is inspired by sea urchin shells, an animal I find to have such fierce beauty like the ocean. I wanted the shape and fit of the suits to encourage movement at the beach be it swimming, dancing or surfing!"
As of this writing, the suits are no longer available for purchase, but that could change in the future.
Ginny Weasley actress Bonnie Wright is ready to make her first feature-length film
Environmental steward and guardian that she is, Bonnie Wright's developing her first feature film, and it's going to help promote sustainability. "The next project I'm doing is very much that," the actress known as Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter explained in a 2019 interview with The Tab. "That's all about pollution, but in a very different space...the ocean. It's going to be a thriller, monster movie." What a cool idea!
Wright hopes that her film will be a teaching moment for people, showing them how careless actions can lead to destruction. "We see shocking images all the time of like the reality but now I'm spinning it," she continued. "The monster is essentially representative of pollution and I guess like all monster movies, in the end it's about the fact that the humans are really the monsters." She added that she's super excited about the project and that she expects it's going to be a great year for her.