Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch was recently interviewed for The HF magazine, where she discussed some of her inspirations, her aspirations for the future, which actors she'd love to work with (again in some instances), and what other alternate career choices she might have considered. The full interview can be read here; highlights and a new photo shoot can be read and seen, respectively, below.

What and who inspires you?
Evanna Lynch: People who can be completely content and creative by themselves, who don’t need others to feel inspired. As an actor, I spend a lot of time travelling alone and living alone and it used to make me very lonely but you have to turn that loneliness into a chance to discover your individuality and be a consistently positive, creative person. You can’t find that in other people. I think people who crave attention, those girls that go from one guy to the next and are never alone, are shying away from their own creative purpose because they can’t stand the oddness of their own company.

That’s why I find myself inspired by people like Michael Jackson and my character from Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood; they’re oddballs to our society, but in truth they’re completely natural and self possessed. Both of them are strong and bold enough not to conform to what their peers expect of them. That’s why Michael Jackson exceeded everyone else’s expectations creatively. He brought something new and radical to his music and performances; he brought himself.

I read a lot of artists’ biographies, too. I’m kind of fascinated by their arrogance. That’s one trait that almost every great artist possesses. Van Gogh was a great artist but he wasn’t arrogant and I think the lack of that quality is why his life was so tortured and painful. Artists are such sensitive souls that if they listened to their own rational minds, the fearful, paranoid part that tells them they suck, they would never be crazy enough to paint. That’s why they need a steely shell of arrogance that tells them they can produce something fresh and original. I’m a sensitive person but I could never be arrogant enough to be a good artist. But I like reading about those people in the hope that eventually I may pick up some of their steeliness.

Can you name an actor that you would love to work with?
Evanna: I’d love to work with Kirsten Dunst. She is so talented. I’ve admired her for years. You think she’s this fun, light-hearted blonde at first but underneath that she can portray such profound sadness and pain and damage. You can tell she’s had her ups and downs and she’s not afraid to pour all that into her work. I also really admire Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He’s brilliant in everything. And I read an article about him recently that mentioned a production company he runs that gets people to collaborate on projects via the Internet. I was so impressed by that because he’s breaking down the idea that the film industry, Hollywood, all that gab, is impenetrable. People have this false idea that it’s composed of an elite group of powerful people, when really it’s all just about creative people working their [bums] off.

Mostly I’d like to work with my friends again. I’d love to work with anyone from Harry Potter again as we had such an unbelievable time together. I think the reason the Potter films are so good, too, is because everyone gelled so well. When you’re with people you trust, you don’t care how ridiculous you look. I’d love to work with my Potter friends again because the trust is already there and we could be as ridiculous as possible.

What is the best life lesson you have learned from a fellow actor?
Evanna: Stop thinking.

What is the best acting lesson you have learned from a non-actor?
Evanna: Take care of yourself, respect yourself, be happy with yourself. When you’re happy with yourself, then you can forget yourself and truly inhabit another character’s mind. I think insecurities set actors at a huge disadvantage as it’s then impossible to detach from your own mind and be someone else. Little things, like when I neglect my appearance, I find it difficult to have a conversation with someone because I’m thinking about myself, not the other person. And acting is all about thinking about the other person, letting the external become more important than the internal. You have to be a generous person. Personally, I consider it part of my job to look after my health and happiness. It takes discipline but it’s the only way you can be free of yourself enough to act.

Where would you like to find yourself in 5 years? In 15 years?
Evanna: I want to be surprised by whatever I’m doing. I’d like to look back in 5 years time and laugh because I could never imagine I’d be doing what I’m doing. You never anticipate the best things that happen in life. Like when an amazing new friend or guy comes into your life but you never could have dreamed them up and you didn’t realize they were missing in your life. I think what I want most out of life is adventure and learning. I kind of like my life to be unpredictable so I’m always being pushed. I’d like to be happy, too, but really learning and growing is paramount and you have to be ok with a certain level of discomfort for that.

Although, I have some conventional ambitions, too. I’d definitely like to be married in 10-15 years. I’d like to have a partner in crime. I’d love to have made more movies and have a strong network of friends within the industry who I can be creative with. I’d like to have written a book too, though maybe I’ll give myself 20 years for that… And I hope to be a better driver. I just got my license a few months ago and as it stands, lives are at risk.

Order the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 DVD and Blu-ray sets, out today in the U.S. and December 2 in the UK, at the Amazon links below, or through the official Warner Bros Shop.

Amazon.com (US) - Deathly Hallows 1-disc DVD | Deathly Hallows 1-disc Blu-ray | Deathly Hallows 3-disc Blu-ray triple play | The Complete 8-Film Collection DVD | The Complete 8-Film Collection Blu-ray

Amazon.co.uk (UK) - Deathly Hallows 1-disc DVD | Deathly Hallows 3-disc 3D Blu-ray | Deathly Hallows 3-disc Blu-ray triple play | Deathly Hallows 2-disc DVD | The Complete 8-Film Collection DVD | The Complete 8-Film Collection Blu-ray | The Complete 8-Film Collection BD limited edition