Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe responds to JK Rowling fallout

The Harry Potter franchise has been battling a PR nightmare for several years now. What was once a whimsical, magical series that many found a sense of refuge in has since been tarred by the harmful and transphobic comments made by its creator, JK Rowling.

It was in 2020 that JK Rowling first expressed transphobic views, something that she’s doubled down on in the years since despite calls for an apology from the Harry Potter fandom itself, many of the stars of the film series, and trans rights campaigners.

The general sentiment of the statement’s made by JK Rowling is one of trans-exclusion, but I implore you to visit this incredibly thorough breakdown of the events of recent years by Glamour’s Abby Gardner.

JK Rowling has alluded to the fact that she doesn’t forgive her former Potter collaborators on their stance against her, with major stars who have spoken out including Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.

Now, in a new interview, Daniel Radcliffe has made a rare comment on the whole affair expressing his deep sadness.

“It makes me really sad, ultimately,” Radcliffe told The Atlantic, “Because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.”

“Jo, obviously Harry Potter would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person,” he continued. “But that doesn’t mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life.”

In the past, Radcliffe has rallied for trans rights via his work with The Trevor Project, an incredible charity.

“Particularly since finishing Potter, I’ve met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that,” he previously said.

With a Harry Potter TV reboot in the works at HBO, it remains to be seen how this still-unfolding controversy will continue to affect the franchise.