Evanna Lynch has landed her first leading role – playing the main character in the Irish film My Name is Emily.
The Louth native will star in Simon Fitzmaurice’s debut feature film as the lead character – which was written after he was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease.
Now completely paralysed, Simon typed the script for the entire film by using his eyes and iris recognition software on his computer.
And Evanna – who is best known for her role as Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – said that it was her “privilege” to star in the upcoming film.
Lead: Evanna is set to star in her first lead role in Irish film My Name is Emily | JASON CLARKE
“It is an absolute privilege and a joy to have the opportunity to help bring My Name is Emily to life with Simon and his team,” she said.
“After I read the script, it and Emily were all I could think about for weeks; it is so different to anything I’ve read and yet so real and dynamic.”
Hollywood star Colin Farrell has already backed the movie, saying: “The script already lives its own life.
“It would be an enormous gift for us, the audience, to see Simon paint the screen with the beauty that exists within its pages.”
Harry Potter: Evanna as Luna Lovegood in the films
The film, which started shooting this week, follows two teenagers in love who runaway together.
In her travels Emily finds her father Robert, a visionary writer locked away in a psychiatric institution.
The film has been completely funded by the public, with donations from hundreds of people all over the world.
“Making this film is the realization of a serious amount of work and love from my wonderful producers,” Simon said of the movie.
“We are surrounded by the most committed group of cast and crew it has been my pleasure to work with.”
“For me, it is worth every effort just to be there on set in the calm at the centre of the hurricane.”
