JK Rowling, once-beloved author of the Harry Potter series, appears to have posted a veiled critique of the franchise's three leading actors on social media.
Reposting a question on X (formerly known as Twitter) that asked, "What actor/actress instantly ruins a movie for you?", Rowling wrote, “Three guesses. Sorry, but that was irresistible,” followed by three laughing emojis.
Users on X inferred that despite not explicitly taking names, Rowling was talking about the three lead actors of the Harry Potter movies, namely Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who portrayed Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, respectively, reports MoneyControl.
The comment appears to originate from a disagreement between Rowling and the trio in 2020 when she wrote an essay about why she chose to speak out on gender issues, in which she controversially defined transgender identity as "deeply misogynistic and regressive."
All three actors publicly expressed support for trans rights, following her comments.
Radcliffe, for example, stated, “Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people.”
Emma Watson also wrote on social media, “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned.”
Since 2018, Rowling engaged in several actions that made her synonymous with the anti-trans movement, like making fun of the gender-inclusive term “people who menstruate”, writing a novel about the character of a male serial killer who dressed like a woman, which sparked criticism for perpetuating harmful and transphobic tropes and criticising new laws that made it easier for individuals to transition or protected trans people from hate speech.
Recently, JK Rowling accused Algerian boxer Imane Khelif of “being a man” who was "enjoying the distress of a woman he's just punched in the head,” after Khelif’s opponent, Italian boxer Angela Carini, dropped out of their bout seconds into the match in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Following this, Khelif was subjected to online harassment, with trolls claiming that she was a man pretending to be a woman.
Khelif went on to win gold in the Olympics and filed a criminal complaint with French authorities alleging "acts of aggravated cyber harassment", naming Rowling and others, according to The Week.
These remarks and actions sparked boycott calls against all creative output that Rowling is involved in, especially that related to the Harry Potter franchise and Hogwarts-related projects.
