The name Harry Potter is recognizable the world over. It has helped produce the biggest franchises in both literary and motion picture history, with even more potential films on the way. While the films primary focus is on Harry, Ron, and Hermione. There are several characters from the Wizarding World that do not get the screen time they need or deserve throughout the franchise. This is of course understandable, as a movie does not provide the same size of canvas in which to tell a story that a book series does, and things do need to be cut down or out to make a cohesive and successful film, and there will undoubtedly be differences between the books and the films.
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In addition to this, we often see characters and their traits be changed when adapted to a film and this can often times sour the fans opinions of these characters. One such example of this is Cho Chang, played by Katie Leung. Making her first appearance in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Cho is set up as a potential love interest for Harry. This Ravenclaw classmate of Harry’s has a story arc throughout the series that sets her up as one of the more unjustly villainized characters in the film series. As a fellow Ravenclaw, it is time to put this undeserved association for Cho Chang to rest. Let’s examine.
Book vs. Film
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Cho Chang was never a major character within the book or film franchises, and JK Rowling has even faced criticism in the past for her stereotypical writing of the character. While Cho is given a more well-rounded backstory in the books, this is something she does not benefit from in the films despite playing a bigger role. We essentially got more Cho Chang in the films but less of a backstory or character development for her. The character of Cho as well as some of her actions and roles in the books were changed for the films, and unfortunately not for the better.
Let’s focus on one event in particular that takes place in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. A major plot point of the fifth film in the franchise is the introduction of Dumbledore’s Army, an offshoot of the Order of the Phoenix that battled Voldemort at the height of his power. Throughout a large part of the film Harry, Ron, and Hermione are training up a group of Hogwarts students to face off against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. They do this hidden off from the rest of the school and Professor Delores Umbridge, whose reign of terror if felt throughout the film. It is Cho Chang, who through the effects of a truth serum, is forced to expose the groups secret activities and location. This causes Dumbledore’s Army to crumble and Dumbledore himself to flee Hogwarts. This act alone cut Cho off from the main group of heroes and set her in a bad light in the eyes of the fans.
Cho being the one to out Dumbledore’s Army in the film, differs from the events of the book. In the literary version, it is Cho’s friend, Marietta Edgecombe, who exposed the army. The betrayal caused Hermione to overreact and cast a charm on Marietta that wrote the word “sneak” in pimple like bumps on her face. Wishing to stand by her friend, Cho condemned Hermione’s actions and continued to support her friend, who at this point was a victim herself. It is this change from source material that unfairly portrayed Cho Chang as an antagonist of sorts in the film version.
Harry & Ginny 4 Ever
Cho Chang was Harry Potter’s first love interest and girlfriend in the books and to a lesser extent in the films. In Rowling’s novels it is said that Harry was attracted to Cho the moment he saw her; she was his first crush, and he went above and beyond to impress her. It is even said that his drive to win the Triwizard Cup was to impress Cho, who was then dating fellow competitor Cedric Diggory. In the films, there is a focus placed on Ginny Weasley and Harry’s connection as early as the second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, when they together take on one of the most terrifying creatures in the franchise. We see something forming between them both throughout films two and three, and do not see Harry’s full interest in Cho until the fourth film. By the time that any Harry and Cho relationship is beginning to be established, fans have already had a connection to Ginny.
Vindication
In the end, not much can be done to go back and change the fate of Cho Chang throughout the Harry Potter film franchise. Decisions were made in the best interest of the overall film narratives and despite this, Potter remains one of the most popular franchises of all time. With some even saying the films succeeded where the books failed. Cho is a perfect example of how source material changes and lack of development can completely sway the fans opinions of a character. Cho Chang, one of the best Ravenclaws in the Wizarding World, deserves vindication and that is what we have achieved. Ravenclaw Pride!
