Just in time for Back to Hogwarts Day on Sept. 1, Audible has a treat for Harry Potter fans called From the Wizarding Archive, an audiobook packed with details and answers to common questions about the Wizarding World. To gear up for the release on Aug. 29, CNET got an exclusive sneak peek at the project featuring Evanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter movies.
Lynch also answered some questions via email about the enduring legacy of Harry Potter, and why she continues to be a face (and voice) for the Wizarding World, years after the movie franchise wrapped up. (You can check out that Q&A below.)
Watch this: Watch an Exclusive 'From the Wizarding Archive' Teaser From Harry Potter's Evanna Lynch
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From the Wizarding Archive contains 80 articles originally written by Harry Potter author JK Rowling for the Pottermore website, now available in audio form for the first time. It aims to answer questions like, "Why can't Squibs go to Hogwarts?" and "How did Dumbledore and McGonagall become friends?"
Along with Lynch, the audiobook is narrated by actors Finlay Robertson and Lara Sawalha, as well as Hugh Quarshie, who played Mustafa Kama in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Lynch also penned the brand-new forward for the audiobook.
See also: Harry Potter Gifts Perfect for Any Aspiring Wizard
From the Wizarding Archive arrives ahead of the release of Audible's upcoming full-cast audio productions of the Harry Potter series, due to land next year. All seven English language books will be released consecutively around the world, and will exist alongside the popular recordings by Jim Dale and Stephen Fry (meaning those aren't going anywhere). It's still not clear who will voice the new audio productions, but the initiative showcases the enduring magic of the Wizarding World, more than 25 years after the first Harry Potter book was published in 1997.
Audible's Harry Potter collection also includes Harry Potter: A History of Magic performed by Natalie Dormer; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them performed by Eddie Redmayne; and Quidditch Through the Ages performed by Andrew Lincoln. Lynch, along with Harry Potter castmates including Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny Weasley, and Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy, also voiced another Audible project, The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
Check out our Q&A with Evanna Lynch below, which has been edited for brevity.
Interview with Harry Potter's Evanna Lynch
Q: Why is From the Wizarding Archive something you wanted to be part of?
Lynch: Being an avid reader and a passionate fan of the Harry Potter books was how I originally entered this magical world that continues to be such an important part of my life. I feel centered when I remember that all my dreams started with these books. I'll never forget what it felt like to be a shy child who felt perpetually awkward and yet who found comfort, joy and companionship in the characters and stories of the Wizarding World. The books have been a deeply formative influence on me both personally and artistically, and it gives me such a sense of nostalgia and hope to see other children and adults feeling inspired and supported by these stories, as I was.
What can listeners look forward to with this audiobook? What do you enjoy most about it?
Listeners can look forward to being reacquainted with the vast lore of the Wizarding World and being totally re-immersed in this epic story. For longtime fans, many of these articles will recall that specific time at the height of Harry Potter hysteria when the books were still being released and we were all entertaining our imaginations with fan fiction, trivia battles and speculative theories on how it would all end, and we were absolutely ravenous for any titbit of canon information JK Rowling would throw our way from time to time in between writing the books. It was such an exciting time, before the internet really took off and you had to seek out connection over shared passions in a way that isn't so hard to find these days, and so in many ways felt more sacred then.
Listeners can also look forward to fantastic actors joining the Potterverse by lending their vocal talents to these incredible characters. It always thrills me to hear how other actors interpret the unusual witches and wizards that populate Harry's world.
Personally, what I enjoyed most with this archive was JK Rowling's commentary and reflections on her ideas and inspirations. I used to read the books for pure escapism and comfort, but nowadays I'm looking to understand the craft of storytelling and how brilliant ideas are recognized and teased out.
You've also voiced one of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, working with Pottermore and Audible -- what power do audiobooks have to bring more dimension to a world so thoroughly explored through books and movies?
For me, audiobooks represent an inclusive and accessible way to create the utter privacy and intimacy that reading provides. Watching a film, it's a cacophony of voices, so many artists -- the director, the actors, all those creatives who physically build the world -- not to mention all the ads you have to sit through before the movie. So I can admire the world of a film, but it is more detached. But as a reader, it's just you and the story, and you set the pace and your imagination and experience bring the words to life.
For example, when I first read the Harry Potter books as a child -- despite the multitude of British references -- I imagined all the characters had Irish accents because that was what was familiar and known to me. I got a shock when I watched Philosopher's (Sorcerer's) Stone and all the characters had such funny accents! And obviously, as you get older, your experience of humanity broadens and that informs the texture of your imaginary landscape when you read. But reading is still a uniquely personal experience, and more and more it's the only place I can find enough quiet to hear myself think. I think audiobooks help preserve that intimate relationship of reading a book because it is just you, the story and the narrator, but of course it is slightly more convenient for busy people doing laundry and walking the dog! It's not total immersion, but close.
What do you enjoy about narrating an audiobook, versus acting on screen?
Silliness and big reactions work better in voice acting than on screen, and I find that very liberating. I've been told I'm a "subtle" actor, not always in the most complimentary of tones, so the note I get when doing audiobooks is, "do what you just did, but 150%!" -- a direction which terrifies me but is ultimately a lot of fun and shakes something loose. And of course, it is nice to be able to express oneself without worrying how you look. You can roll out of bed and just lose yourself in the work in the recording booth. And frankly, what is more pleasurable than being locked in a soundproof room for a day and told to read a book?! Or is that just me?
You've continued to be a face of the world of Harry Potter, years after the final film wrapped up. Why is that?
It's a safe place for me. Perhaps there is a slightly regressive instinct there, returning to my childhood comforts… But it goes deeper, too. The feeling of belonging in a room has always been an elusive one for me. So then there is the Harry Potter world, where I have been not just accepted but embraced and celebrated, so it is an enormous privilege to have that warmth and familiarity to step into. Not every quirky kid finds that lifelong community.
I don't watch the films as it's too emotional, but recently, Prisoner of Azkaban was on and my partner and I started passively watching it, and I had that strong feeling of, "I want to be part of that world," and then remembered, "Oh, I already am!" The fans have kept that world very alive in my life. I continue to try to find that sense of belonging in other communities, but none have proved quite so profound a match yet. So yes, I'll always be happy to be a familiar face in the Harry Potter world.
How do you think the fandom will evolve in the coming decades?
There's a certain type of fan -- young children who are utterly enchanted by Hogwarts and fully anticipate a letter -- that is just an eternal presence in the Harry Potter fandom. No matter how old the rest of us get, there is always going to be a new generation of children discovering the stories for the first time. As for the grown up fans like myself, regressing to this safe place through life's ups and downs, I don't know… I just hope we can always use these stories to reconnect to our own inner child and be reminded of our innocence. There's nothing more precious and disarming than remembering our innocence.