Where you’ve definitely seen Lady Araminta from Bridgerton aka Katie Leung before

A major addition to the cast of Bridgerton season four is Katie Leung, who plays Sophie’s cruel stepmother, Lady Araminta Gun. While we might be meeting her for the first time in Bridgerton, chances are you’ve seen her somewhere very famous before.

After last season finally gave us Colin and Penelope’s love story, we’re more than ready to return to the Ton for Netflix’s next chapter.

This time around, the drama introduces a wave of new faces, led by Australian actress Yerin Ha, who plays Sophie Baek – the woman set to steal Benedict Bridgerton’s heart.

Katie Leung has already been part of a massive film franchise

Katie Leung is a Scottish actress originally from Dundee, and she’s built an impressive career across TV, film and theatre. Her CV includes roles in Poirot, Annika and Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time.

However, for many of us, she’ll always be best known as Cho Chang in the Harry Potter films, aka Harry Potter’s first love interest.

Landing the role back in 2005 was Katie’s first ever acting job. She was cast in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire after her dad spotted an open casting call. Katie reportedly queued for four hours to audition and beat around 3,000 other hopefuls to the part.

She later returned as Cho in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, and both parts of The Deathly Hallows.

Warner Bros

She has spoken openly about the downsides of early fame

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Katie was just 18 when she appeared in her first Harry Potter film, and the sudden attention wasn’t easy to handle. Speaking to The Guardian, she later reflected on how overwhelming it was.

“It was overwhelming from the get-go. Being in the spotlight from that age, when you’re already insecure, was difficult, to say the least,” she said.

Like many teenagers at the time, Katie admitted she Googled herself – and was confronted with racist abuse and personal criticism online, which she struggled to process.

“I think it just sat with me, and it affected me in ways like, ‘Oh yeah, I made that decision because people were saying this about me.’ It probably made me less outgoing,” she admitted.

“I was very self-aware of what was coming out of my mouth.”

Despite the success of the films, Katie has also spoken about feeling pressure to prove she was more than just Cho Chang, while still recognising how important the franchise is to her career.

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A post shared by Katie Leung (@_katieleung_)

What she has done since Harry Potter

After Harry Potter wrapped in 2012, Katie wasn’t immediately sure she wanted to stay in acting. She later went on to study drama at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, before building a career across stage and screen.

Her theatre work includes her stage debut in Wild Swans and a role in The World of Extreme Happiness at the National Theatre.

On TV, she led Channel 4’s drama Run and starred in the BBC miniseries One Child. She’s also appeared on the big screen alongside Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan in The Foreigner.

More recently, Katie played Lau Chen in ITV’s White Dragon, DC Blair Ferguson in Annika, and Yasicca in The Wheel of Time.

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A post shared by Katie Leung (@_katieleung_)

She called Bridgerton a “blessing”

Bridgerton has become known for its inclusive casting, and Katie has spoken positively about joining the show. Talking to Radio Times, she described being part of the series as a “blessing”.

“[Bridgerton] has always been a diverse show and it’s successful because it’s so well written and… it’s so that people can resonate with the relationship dynamics. The more we see of that, the more we are going to be working towards something where we’re all going to be happier and more equal.”

With a career that spans everything from wizarding worlds to period drama, it’s safe to say Bridgerton viewers are in for a seriously memorable villain.