Credit: Inside the MagicThe name J.K. Rowling once evoked nothing but happy memories of Harry Potter. Crackling common room fires, wintry landscapes, and all the wonderful characters who inhabit the wizarding world. For years, she was also widely celebrated as an author for her immeasurable contribution to children’s literature with her seven best-selling books.
But these days, whenever her name is uttered, it tends to divide the masses. For many, the world-famous author has now become the series’ villain: She Who Must Not Be Named. Just the mere mention of her name is controversial, forcing anyone in your company to go “shh!”
J.K. Rowling and the Gender-Critical Debate
Over the years, J.K. Rowling has been at the heart of the trans and gender identity debate, and quickly became labeled “transphobic” and a “trans-exclusionary radical feminist” (abbreviated as “TERF”) by trans rights activists and many other supporting groups.
However, Rowling, a gender-critical feminist, denies being transphobic, and has explained in her own words that making it easier for transgender people to legally transition could have a negative effect access on single-sex spaces and legal protections for vulnerable women.
Not one to sit quietly, Rowling has clapped back on every occasion, almost always having “the last laugh” on X with sarcasm and wit. Just days ago she was locked into a bitter feud with ’80s pop legend Boy George regarding the trans debate, which is an entire story in itself.
Earlier this year, following the U.K. Supreme Court Ruling on biological sex — that sex should be interpreted as referring to either a biological man or a biological woman — a devastating blow to the trans community and beyond, Rowling posted a selfie celebrating the outcome with a cigar and a glass of champagne aboard her superyacht.
I love it when a plan comes together.
I love it when a plan comes together.#SupremeCourt #WomensRights pic.twitter.com/agOkWmhPgb
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 16, 2025
Related: HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’: First Look at New Hermione Star in Action, Fans React
Rowling Vs. Harry Potter Cast Members
Unsurprisingly, this provoked a wave backlash from across the board: trans rights activists and even Hollywood stars like Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, The Last of Us), whose sister is trans. But Pascal is hardly the first star Rowling has locked horns with in recent times.
Last year, she was at loggerheads with Doctor Who icon David Tennant, whose daughter is trans. Tennant starred in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), but he’s not the only actor from the films to have shown solidarity with trans people and reject Rowling’s views.
Actors Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) are among those who have also shown their full support to the trans community and other marginalized groups while at the same time publicly distancing themselves from Rowling.
Eddie Redmayne (who plays Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts films) has also criticized the author’s views.
Even those who haven’t openly condemned her comments have said they don’t agree. In 2023, Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) was also asked about the situation, to which he responded, “I liken J.K. Rowling to an auntie. I don’t agree with everything my auntie says.”
Every Harry Potter Actor Who Has Defended J.K. Rowling
But there appear to be just as many Harry Potter actors who’ve shown their support to Rowling — in response the online backlash and not her actual views.
Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) recently came under fire for appearing to have a mostly neutral stance on the Rowling controversy. Felton, who will reprise his role as Draco in the Broadway version of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, was asked whether the situation affects his work, to which he replied, “I can’t say it does. I’m not really that attuned to it.”
He also noted how the Harry Potter franchise has brought people together, saying, “The only thing I always remind myself, is that I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world, here I am in New York, and I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter, and she’s responsible for that. So I’m incredibly grateful.”
Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) has been asked about the controversy on a number of occasions. In a 2023 interview, he said that while it isn’t a “counter argument”, he drew attention to Rowling’s charitable donations, saying, “she poured an enormous amount of her fortune into making the world a much better place, for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children through her charity Lumos.”
Recently, however, in an interview with Vulture, Isaacs admitted that he doesn’t “understand” who Rowling is online, saying, “I don’t understand who she is on Twitter. But then that’s true of almost anybody online. It’s a place where people scream abuse at each other”.
He went on to say, “And I’ve heard her arguments when she explained herself in that seven-part podcast, The Witch Trials of J.K Rowling, which I listened to. She says in that something like, ‘I may be on the wrong side of history, but this is what I feel very strongly.’ He added, “It’s not my argument or discussion to have. But if there’s a vote, I know which side I’ll be voting.”
Miriam Margoyles (Professor Sprout), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), and the late Robbie Coltrane (Rubeus Hagrid) are also among those who have defended Rowling against the backlash.
With all that said, it should be noted that just because someone has defended the author against the backlash, that doesn’t necessarily mean they agree with her views on gender identity. In fact, none of the actors mentioned above have said they agree with Rowling.
HBO’s Harry Potter TV Series: The Controversy Continues
Did Warner Bros. and HBO think that the Harry Potter franchise could shake off all the controversy it’s been absolutely drenched in over the years with an upcoming TV series?
Of course not. The saga continues.
The reboot is now 18 new actors in, two of whom have already been embroiled in the Rowling drama. Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), who will play Rubeus Hagrid, was forced to disable his Instagram comments after the initial casting announcement when he became the target of trans rights activists who criticized the actor for associating himself with Rowling.
But Frost has since explained that he doesn’t agree with Rowling’s views, telling The Observer (via Deadline), “She’s allowed her opinion and I’m allowed mine, they just don’t align in any way, shape or form.”
He added that the controversy shouldn’t “blow over,” saying, “We shouldn’t just hope it will go away, because it makes it easier. Maybe we should educate ourselves.”
Universal Pictures (International, through United International Pictures)
This came after Frost’s Harry Potter co-star Paapa Essiedu (Black Mirror), who’s playing Severus Snape, signed an open letter condemning the recent U.K. Supreme Court ruling.
When Rowling was later asked by fans whether Essiedu would be fired as a result of his support to trans people, she took to X to clear the air, saying, “I don’t have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn’t exercise it if I did. I don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine.”
HBO’s Harry Potter TV Series
The new Harry Potter series is touted as a “faithful adaptation” of the seven books by J.K. Rowling. Spanning seven seasons (one per book) across a 10-year period, it will premiere on HBO sometime in 2026, although no narrower release window has been confirmed.
Production is set to begin sometime this summer.
Francesca Gardiner (Succession, His Dark Materials) is writer/showrunner and an executive producer, Mark Mylod (Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) will executive-produce and direct multiple episodes, and J.K. Rowling is also an executive producer, along with Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.
It stars Katherine Parkinson (Molly Weasley), Lox Pratt (Draco Malfoy), Johnny Flynn (Lucius Malfoy), Leo Early (Seamus Finnigan), Alessia Leoni (Parvati Patil), Sienna Moosah (Lavender Brown), Bel Powley (Petunia Dursley), Daniel Rigby (Vernon Dursley), Bertie Carvel (Cornelius Fudge), John Lithgow (Albus Dumbledore), Janet McTeer (Minerva McGonagall), Paapa Essiedu (Severus Snape), Nick Frost (Rubeus Hagrid), Luke Thallon (Quirinus Quirrell), Paul Whitehouse (Argus Filch), Dominic McLaughlin (Harry Potter), Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger), and Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley).
Where do you stand on this matter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!