Harry Potter star Bel Powley addresses JK Rowling's views on gender as she defends starring in HBO series
Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the trans community which some readers may find distressing.
Harry Potter star Bel Powley has addressed JK Rowling’s controversial views on gender, saying she 'strongly disagrees' with the author while defending her decision to appear in the new TV adaptation.
Powley, who is set to play Petunia Dursley in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series, opened up about her decision in an interview with The Telegraph.
The Everything I Know About Love actress, 34, was asked whether she was concerned about how her career 'might be affected' by being associated with Rowling, 61, and her views on the transgender community.
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"I strongly disagree with JK Rowling’s views on gender," Powley explained. "I think that the trans community deserve safety and dignity and respect and total acceptance."
"But I love Harry Potter," she continued. "I grew up with the books. I am from that first generation of readers and, again, I love magic and spookiness."
Rowling, who wrote the original Harry Potter books and serves as an executive producer on the new HBO series, has faced years of criticism over comments about transgender people.
Her involvement in the new TV series has also led to calls for a boycott from parts of the LGBTQ+ community.
Rowling first made her stance about transgender women public back in December 2019, prompting backlash among fans and others alike who called Rowling out for being a 'TERF' - a trans-exclusionary radical feminist.
Stars from the beloved film franchise, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, subsequently shared statements condemning Rowling's comments.
Radcliffe previously wrote in a statement shared with The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organisation focused on suicide prevention efforts among the LGBTQIA+ community: "Transgender women are women… Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I."
Powley joins a star-studded cast for the upcoming reboot, including the likes of John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid and Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick, reprising his role from the original films
The three young leads are Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger.
The new Harry Potter series is due to land on HBO later this year.
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: Harry Potter, Celebrity, JK Rowling, TV And Film
Rhiannon Ingle