In post-Potter exile no more: Evanna Lynch, who was almost *too good* as Luna Lovegood, joins Monster Butler.

Last year, when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II opened in theaters, Elisabeth Rappe did a slideshow regarding what was next for the various Harry Potter alumni.  To my shock, the only major cast-member with nothing on his/her plate was Ms. Evanna Lynch.  As I discussed during last year's Harry Potter retrospective, Lynch pulled off the rare feat of actually improving a character from the source material.  Going into Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I barely remembered Luna Lovegood from the book I had read four years prior.  But Lynch's terrific 'shoulda-been breakout' turn was so dynamic and engaging, her chemistry with Daniel Radcliffe so potent and convincing, that she basically torpedoed Harry Potter's romantic arc of the last four movies.  Without being mean about it, why would Harry Potter be chasing after the deadly dull Cho Chang or even the attractive but thinly-written Ginny Weasley (who was neutered in the film translations) when he obviously got along so well with the smart/funny/wise/kind/hot/etc. Lovegood?  My wife and I both spent large chunks of the fifth and sixth films wanting to grab Harry and smack some sense into him.  So it is with token relief/approval that, so says The Hollywood Reporter, Evanna Lynch is joining the cast of Dough Rath's Monster Butler.  Based on a true story of a murderous con man played by Malcolm McDowell, the film also stars Gary Oldman and Dominic Monaghan.  I have no idea if she has any star power behind what may have been a tailor-fit role for her, but I'm happy to get a chance to find out.  The rest of the Potter cast has so far done well with finding work post-Potter, and it's good to see that the one holdout is finding her footing as well.

Scott Mendelson