Trending badgeTrendingPosted 55 minutes ago30 Things The "Harry Potter" Cast Have Said (Or Not Said) About J.K. Rowling Over The YearsDaniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Tom Felton and more have all spoken about J.K. Rowling's anti-trans views, with differing opinions amongst them.by Jenna GuillaumeBuzzFeed ContributorFacebookPinterestLink J.K. Rowling has been actively campaigning against the rights of trans people for years. She first seemed to show anti-trans views in 2018, and has grown more and more vocally anti-trans since. Chris Jackson / Getty Images Here's what some of the actors involved in Harry Potter adaptations have had to say (or, in some cases, have avoided saying)... 1. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) Warner Bros, Bruce Glikas / Getty Images Daniel Radcliffe issued a lengthy statement back in 2020 via The Trevor Project, sharing he felt compelled to speak up and say, "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."Addressing Harry Potter fans, he said: "To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don't entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you. If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe, capable of overcoming anything; if they taught you that strength is found in diversity, and that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups; if you believe that a particular character is trans, nonbinary, or gender fluid, or that they are gay or bisexual; if you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life - then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred. And in my opinion nobody can touch that. It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much."In 2024, The Atlantic asked him about his previous statement, and he revealed that he "wanted to try and help people that had been negatively affected by the comments, and to say that if those are Jo's views, then they are not the views of everybody associated with the Potter franchise."He added that he's had no direct contact with J.K. Rowling in years, sharing "it makes me really sad, ultimately", and that while she played a big part in his life, "that doesn't mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life". "I will continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people," he said. 2. Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) Warner Bros, Neil Mockford / Getty Images Emma Watson has been vocal about her support of trans people. In 2020, she tweeted, "Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren't who they say they are. I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are."When asked directly about J.K. Rowling in a 2025 interview, she said "I really don't believe that by having had that experience and holding the love and support and views that I have, mean that I can't and don't treasure Jo and the person that I had personal experiences with... 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 just don't think these things are either-or... I believe that no one is disposable, and everyone, as far as possible, whatever the conversation is, should and can be treated with, at the very least, dignity and respect."She added she's open to having a conversation with J.K.
Rowling, saying, "I just don't want to say anything that continues to weaponize a really toxic debate and conversation, which is why I don't comment or continue to comment. Not because I don't care about her or about the issue, but because the way that the conversation is being had feels really painful to me."She also showed gratitude to J.K. Rowling for creating the character of Hermione: "As a young woman, for her to have written that character and created that world, given me an opportunity which, to be honest, barely exists in the history of English literature - there's just no world in which I could ever cancel her out or cancel that out. I just don't know what else to do other than hold these two seemingly incompatible things together at the same time...my job feels like it's to hold all of it." 3. Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) Warner Bros, Dave J Hogan / Getty Images Rupert Grint released a statement in 2020 in support of trans people, saying "I firmly stand with the trans community. Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment."In 2022, he shared that he v