Bonnie Francesca Wright (born 17 February 1991) is an English actress, filmmaker, and environmental activist. She is best known for her role as Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter film series.
Born in London, Wright made her professional acting debut in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), playing Ginny Weasley for ten years through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011). Subsequently, Wright appeared in a string of independent films, including Before I Sleep (2013), The Sea (2013), and After the Dark (2014); the films received mixed reviews. She made her stage debut as the lead in Peter Ustinov's The Moment of Truth at the Southwark Playhouse in 2013.
After graduating from the London College of Communication in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in filmmaking, Wright founded her own production company, BonBonLumiere, and began to produce short films. Her first directorial project was the coming-of-age drama Separate We Come, Separate We Go (2012), starring David Thewlis, which was released at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim. She directed Know Thyself (2016), starring Christian Coulson, and Sextant (2016), both of which featured landscape and emotion as themes. Wright's three-part series, Phone Calls, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017. She released Medusa's Ankles (2018) starring Kerry Fox and Jason Isaacs, based on A. S. Byatt's The Matisse Stories. She has also directed music videos for artists Sophie Lowe, Pete Yorn, and Scarlett Johansson.
Wright is an ambassador for the Rainforest Alliance as well as the charities Greenpeace and Lumos.
Early life and education
Bonnie Francesca Wright was born on 17 February 1991 in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the second child of Sheila Teague and Gary Wright, owners of the jewellery company Wright & Teague. Wright was raised a Christian. She attended Prior Weston Primary School and later the independent King Alfred School in Golders Green, North London for her secondary education. in 2012, Wright graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in filmmaking.
Career
2001–2011: Beginnings and Harry Potter series
In 1999, castings were held across the UK for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the film adaptation of British author J. K. Rowling's best-selling novel. Wright's elder brother had read the first two books in the series and informed her that she reminded him of Ginny Weasley. Wright did not have any prior professional experience aside from school plays, and asked her mother if she could audition "on a whim". The film broke sales records and was the highest-grossing film of 2001. She reprised her role the following year in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, in which her character begins studies at Hogwarts and encounters a secret diary that begins to control her actions. One critic cited her role as "important" but "underdeveloped". The film broke the opening records of its predecessor and became the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time in the region.
In 2002 and 2004, Wright co-starred in two television films: Stranded (2002), a period piece, and Agatha Christie: A Life in Pictures (2004), where she played the younger version of the titular writer. Wright had supporting roles in the successive releases of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, released in 2004 and 2005 to commercial success and increasing worldwide recognition.
right|170px|thumb|Wright at the opening of [[the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2010]]As Ginny, she appeared more prominently in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), joining Dumbledore's Army and eventually participating in the climactic scene, battling against Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Mark Adams of The Sunday Mirror wrote that Wright's performance "makes the most subtle and memorable impact... her time is to come." The film was a critical and financial success, with a record-breaking opening weekend. In 2007, Wright guest starred on the Disney Channel's The Replacements, where she voiced Vanessa in the second-season premiere titled "London Calling". Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released in 2009. Wright's character continued to develop, becoming chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team as well as Harry Potter's love interest. Variety stated that her portrayal "intrigues as the sort of initial plain Jane who keeps growing on you".
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Wright reprised her role for the final time, being featured during the film's prominent battle storyline and in the epilogue, set nineteen years later. Wright was nominated for an Empire Award for her performance in the final film. She has also provided the voice of Ginny in the video game versions of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. Wright is one of the thirteen actors who have appeared in all eight films of the Harry Potter franchise, being part of the cast members Rowling referred to as "The Big Seven".
2012–present: Independent films and directorial focus
In 2012, Wright founded her film production company, BonBonLumiere. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012 and the Gold Coast International Film Festival in 2013. Nick de Semlyen of Empire praised Wright's direction, saying that "it's an impressive first work from someone who clearly has ambition to burn."
In 2013, she co-starred in Before I Sleep alongside an ensemble cast. The film was shot in New England, and premiered at the 2013 Heartland Film Festival. She then appeared in The Sea (2013), an adaptation of the John Banville novel, playing Rose, a "fragile, distracted young nanny". The film premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 23 June 2013. The Sea received mixed reviews; one critic wrote that Wright was an "underused but ultimately ineffective screen presence". That same year, she also made her stage debut in the role of The Girl in Peter Ustinov's The Moment of Truth. The play was performed at the Southwark Playhouse in London from June to July. Wright received critical praise for her stage performance; the British Theatre Guide wrote she "makes clear in her performance, she is motivated by love for her father and movingly has to face rejection..." Wright filmed the comedy Those Who Wander and the family-adventure film Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg? in 2013. In December 2013, she directed Sophie Lowe in her music video "Dreaming". The video was shot in Joshua Tree National Park. In 2014, she took part in the third series of The Great Sport Relief Bake Off, winning the first episode and being named the "Star Baker".