Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the transgender community which some readers may find distressing.
J. K. Rowling appears to have subtly responded to Emma Watson after the actress made a surprising statement about her feelings toward the author.
Actress Watson, 35, used her recent appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast to set the record straight on her feelings about Rowling, 60.
The pair have seemingly been at odds since the Harry Potter writer published an essay in 2020 which detailed her concerns about transgender activism, and has previously been accused of transphobia for her views on gender identity, which she has dismissed.
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The Little Women star made her stance clear on the subject at the time, replying with: “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned.”
Since then, Rowling has criticised Watson, along with co-stars Daniel Radcliffe, 36, and Rupert Grint, 37, on multiple occasions.
She’s previously claimed that any celebrities - including the Harry Potter trio - who ‘cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights’ or used their platforms to ‘cheer on the transitioning of minors’ could save their apologies, and that she was unlikely to forgive them.
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While Watson did not make an explicit reference to the writer’s controversial views, nor the ire she has received from her, she did mention that she still ‘treasured’ Rowling as a person and that she hadn’t ‘cancelled’ her from her life.
"I really don't believe that by having had that experience and holding the love and support and views that I have, means that I can't and don't treasure Jo and the person that I had personal experiences with,” she told Shetty, 38.
“I will never believe that one negates the other and that my experience of that person, I don't get to keep and cherish, I come back to our earlier thing. Like I just don't think these things are either or.”
The activist added that she hoped people who ‘didn’t agree with her opinion’ would continue to love her. She also said that she could have positive relationships with others who didn’t share the same thoughts as her.
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Watson’s quotes have gone viral and may have attracted the attention of the multimillionaire herself.
On Thursday (September 25), the mother-of-three took to X (formerly Twitter) to post what appeared to be a thinly-veiled dig.
Not mentioning Watson by name, she wrote: “A little reminder for anyone who may be regretting their very public sprint to the front of the mob and is now trying to discreetly shove their pitchfork out of sight.”
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The comment was made whilst resharing a furious rant she posted earlier this year in which she slammed open letters from people in the arts about transgender rights.
Watson isn’t the only Harry Potter alumnus to have detailed their ‘tricky’ relationship with Rowling.
In 2022, Grint - who played Ron Weasley in all eight HP films - told the Times: "I liken JK Rowling to an auntie. I don’t necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but she’s still my auntie. It’s a tricky one.”
Evanna Lynch, who portrayed Luna Lovegood, said to the Telegraph that she wished people would give the Robert Galbraith writer ‘more grace’.
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"I just felt that her character has always been to advocate for the most vulnerable members of society,” the 34-year-old explained. “The problem is that there’s a disagreement over who’s the most vulnerable. I do wish people would just give her more grace and listen to her."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]
Topics: Emma Watson, JK Rowling, Celebrity, LGBTQ, Harry Potter, Podcasts, Social Media
Ella Scott