Matthew Lewis said his character, Neville Longbottom, meant a lot to him growing up.
“Not least because I played him, obviously, but just what he stood for, really…the goodness in him,” he said. “The fact that through all of life’s challenges, whether he was bullied at school or the things that happened in his childhood to his parents, he never veered from the path. He always stayed true to his ideals, to what he believed in, and what was the right thing to do.”
He continued, “That’s kind of hard, I think. People do get rocked by a lot and Neville got rocked by a lot and he never let it shift his morals, his ethics. I think that’s important. He could’ve been forgiven for holding some bitterness and resentment at life…for everything that happened to him. And he never did. And he worked tirelessly to fight the good fight. And that’s the incredible strength of character. He’s a beacon of light in the story, I think, and an inspiration for us all.”
