| The open casting-call for Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix worked out pretty well – we can assure you that Evanna Lynch is an ideal fit – so the good folks behind the series are doing the same again, with the news that there will be an open casting call for Lavender Brown and Tom Riddle in London on July 1 and July 8. Those of you who paid attention while you read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will remember that Lavender hooks up with Ron Weasley and promptly transforms into a complete nutter. Tom Marvolo Riddle, meanwhile, needs no introduction – he already appeared in The Chamber of Secrets and will appear in flashbacks to He Who Must Not Be Named’s schooldays. If you want to be considered for a role, you need to get along to the Earls Court Exhibition Centre by 10am, when applications start, with the queue closing at 1pm. Lavenders will be considered on Sunday July 1, with Toms there on July 8. For any of you who are interested, here’s the blurb that the casting agency gives about Lavender: “Lavender is in the same year as Harry, Ron and Hermione at Hogwarts. We are looking for someone between 15-18yrs to play her. Lavender is a pretty and lively girl who loves to be the centre of attention. She is determined to make Ron her boyfriend and when she gets him, she is then deeply possessive of him. She reacts in an extreme way to everything. She tends to be either laughing or crying hysterically.” And here’s the blurb about Tom: “We meet Tom when he is 16 and at Hogwarts. We are looking for someone between 15-18yrs to play him. He is a boy that other kids want to be friends with. He is a leader and other children want to be around him. He is not a warm boy but he is very charismatic. Both staff and children are probably all a little scared of him.” A resemblance to Ralph Fiennes and a snakey nose most likely wouldn’t hurt either. There, don’t say we didn’t warn you. And if you get the part, we’ll be expecting our 10% in the post. | 
