Actor Keira Knightley has apologised for appearing in the latest series of Harry Potter audiobooks, after learning that some former fans were boycotting the release in response to allegations of transphobia on social media towards the creator of the original novels, J.K. Rowling.
“I was not aware of [a boycott] ― no,” Knightley told Decider over the weekend, “I am very sorry,” she said, laughing.
She continued: “I think we’re all living in a period of time right now, we’re all going to have to figure out how to live together, aren’t we? And we’ve all got very different opinions. So I hope that we can all find respect.”
The response to the video and quotes appearing online has been decidedly negative, with many unhappy at the perceived lack of seriousness with which Knightley approached the conversation when it arose.
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"Absolutely bizarre reaction," one comment put it simply on Reddit. Others took the opportunity to share their thoughts, with most deeply critical of the response.
"Oh wow that's so much worse. She looks p***ed that she was even asked about this, but what did she expect when she took the job?! Also, this is an insanely privileged take, bloody hell. It's not a difference of opinion when JKR's 'opinion' involves helping robbing people of their very right to live. So disappointed in Keira," another added.
"'I didn't know' as an excuse doesn't really check out for a British woman who works in entertainment but even if you want to take that in good faith, the obvious question behind that is, would you boycott now once you knew? Like 'we're all going to have to figure out how to live together and we all have different opinions' doesn't really push back on Rowling's extreme hatred for trans people or say anything about what responsibilities she thinks artists have," a third agreed.
Whatever your opinions on the issue, it's a simple fact that any new Harry Potter release is bound to draw additional attention for the author's controversial remarks, including the upcoming HBO series.
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Rowling herself is yet to respond to the calls for a boycott of the audiobooks, though the official Harry Potter website does contain a brief statement, confirming she won't have direct involvement, saying, "Although J.K. Rowling has given her blessing to the project and will be kept informed, she will not be involved in its production, which will be handled by the teams at Audible and Pottermore Publishing."
Topics: Harry Potter, TV And Film, Warner Bros