Credit: Warner Bros.One Harry Potter actor isn’t happy with what her co-star has said about the franchise lately.
Earlier this month, Miriam Margolyes ignited a public feud with diehard Potterheads when she criticized adult fans of the series. Speaking to New Zealand public broadcaster 1News, Margolyes – who played Herbology teacher Professor Sprout in two Harry Potter films – controversially claimed, “I worry about Harry Potter fans because they should be over that by now.”
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The 82-year-old actress went on to argue that “it was 25 years ago, and it’s for children. I think it’s for children, but they get stuck in it.” She also stated that she judges those who have Harry Potter-themed weddings. “People say, ‘Oh, we’re having a Harry Potter-themed wedding,’ and I think, ‘Gosh, what’s their first night of fun going to be?’ I can’t even think about it!”
Despite the fact that Margolyes finished by saying that Harry Potter is “wonderful” and she’s very grateful for the series (she just thinks that it’s over now), fans were quick to share their anger online. However, it turns out that fans aren’t the only ones irritated by Margolyes’ comments.
Fellow Harry Potter actor Jessie Cave – who played Lavender Brown, a Gryffindor student and the first girlfriend of Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) in three films – was asked for her opinion on the controversy at a recent Harry Potter fan convention in Paris, where she declared Margolyes’ stance as “terrible.”
After explaining that she thinks Margolyes is naturally funny and probably didn’t mean for her words to be taken so seriously, she said: “I really don’t like that she said that. It’s such an amazing thing that Harry Potter has done. It’s created a fan base that has aged and is still bonded through it, and it’s passed on to younger generations, and that’s what is so amazing.”
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However, Cave did go on to defend Margolyes, theorizing that “she probably just doesn’t understand that or get that.” She also asked that fans of the Wizarding World “just let her be.”
Margolyes has previously shared other damning comments about the Harry Potter franchise, including negatively comparing it to Charles Dickens in a Vogue cover story last year and claiming that it’s “humbling” that the work she’ll be best known for is her small scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002).
You can watch Cave’s full appearance at Dream It Conventions – where she was joined by Grint and fellow Harry Potter actors Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan), Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom), and James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley) – on YouTube.
Who do you agree with more – Miriam Margolyes or Jessie Cave? Let us know in the comments!