Who needs Polyjuice Potion? Kari Lewis certainly doesn’t. The cosplayer recently went viral because of her striking resemblance to Harry Potter star Emma Watson. That’s right, the internet has discovered another Hermione Granger. Potterheads rejoice! Instagram pictures of Kari looking uncannily like Hermione and Belle have been circulating the net. Check out Kari’s cosplays below. They’ll definitely have you asking yourself: What wizardry is this?
Emma Watson’s American lookalike goes viral, Fans react
Kari Lewis looks uncannily like Emma Watson. (You know, if Emma were a 27-year-old mom from Indianapolis, Indiana who works at a video rental store. And a Hufflepuff.) Their striking resemblance gives Kari a huge advantage when she’s cosplaying at various conventions. But at first, Kari didn’t even realize their similarities – in fact, she didn’t even know who Emma was!
It took some young girls approaching Kari in 2001 and telling her she looked like Hermione Granger before the revelation dawned on the cosplayer. Those girls started her dive into the magical world of Harry Potter and her hobby as a Hermione cosplayer. Now Kari’s Instagram page has over 6,000 followers and her photos have thousands of likes. Apart from her social media, she also frequently gets double takes on the street. Some people have even told her she could act as Emma’s stunt double. Kari’s answer? “I’m too clumsy.”
No Magic Needed: Kari Lewis transforms into Hermione and Belle
Despite calls of witchcraft and Polyjuice Potion, no magic is involved in Kari’s transformations. The Indiana mom takes great pride in cosplaying in different conventions and online as two of Emma Watson’s most memorable roles: Hermione and Belle. She even bought outfits matching the two characters to heighten the resemblance. That includes Belle’s iconic blue dress, as seen in both the animated and live-action Beauty and the Beast films. Apparently, Kari also owns several of Hermione’s outfits, including her full Gryffindor uniform and her look at the Battle of Hogwarts.
Fan reactions to Kari Lewis’ amazing cosplay skills
Kari’s transformations into Hermione and Belle are not only mind-boggling, they’re also spellbinding. And fans agree. The online reaction to Kari’s cosplay magic range from astonishment to excitement to even jealousy over her resemblance to the brightest witch of her age. Even on Kari’s non-cosplay pictures, many people take notice of her similarities to Emma Watson. Most comments have been incredibly positive and encouraging, especially on Kari’s Instagram.
Potterhead newt nootscamander commented, “Omg you’re perfect as Hermione :o” on a photo of Kari dressed as Hermione, poring over a book.
On another photo featuring Kari as Hermione in her Gryffindor uniform, justericdk also showed his excitement. “Absolutely wonderful!!!! You should find other Harry Potter lookalikes and make your own Harry Potter movies,” he commented.
User smoothcriminal25 also sent Kari some encouragement on another cosplay pic of Hermione. “@kariellex love ur page!!! Can’t believe how much u look like her it’s uncanny! Keep doing what ur doing! ?”
The amazement of fans also extended to Kari’s pictures where she’s dressed as Belle in her blue dress. User juliaaabennett’s comment shows the fans’ reaction best: “I THOUGHT THAT WAS EMMA WATSON AT FIRST.” She had to do a double-take.
Lastly, user arkhamsprincess agreed. “This is genuinely amazing, you’re identical but pretty in your own unique way too!” she commented on the same photo.