Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, who is starring in the Broadway production of "Merrily We Roll Along", has spoken out against J.K. Rowling's anti-trans comments she has made online.
ADVERTISEMENTDaniel Radcliffe has opened up about J.K. Rowling’s comments about the trans community.
Her main star, who played the famous wizard in the film series, has commented in a new interview.
Speaking to The Atlantic about his current role in the Broadway production of "Merrily We Roll Along", Radcliffe said: “It makes me really sad, ultimately. Because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.”
He confirmed that he has not had any contact with Rowling since she began making the comments and added that he would “continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people”.
Radcliffe also responded to accusations that he was being ungrateful to Rowling by opposing her views.
“Jo, obviously Harry Potter would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person. But that doesn’t mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life.”
This is not the first time Radcliffe has addressed Rowling’s comments.
In 2020, he expressed his lack of association with her views and defended the trans community in an essay he wrote for the Trevor Project, an organisation focused on suicide prevention among the LGBTQ+ community.
In the essay, Radcliffe referenced Rowling, writing: “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.”
As for Rowling, the author of the best-selling Harry Potter series has continued to double down on her anti-trans sentiments and has continued to receive significant backlash for what many perceive to be anti-trans comments.
Earlier this month, Rowling responded to the comments made by both Radcliffe and his Harry Potter co-star Emma Watson in defence of the trans community. The author wrote on X: “Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces.”
Also this year, transgender journalist and reality TV personality India Willoughby reported Rowling to police for misgendering her.
Rowling responded in a series of posts on social media, writing: “In my view, India is a classic example of the male narcissist who lives in a state of perpetual rage that he can’t compel women to take him at his own valuation.”
