Daniel Radcliffe is speaking out about his career ties to “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling.
Tony-nominated actor Radcliffe has previously assured franchise fans that Rowling’s transphobic remarks are in no way indicative of the “Potter” actors’ own sociopolitical views. Now, Radcliffe is untangling the nuances of Rowling’s legacy.
“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,” Radcliffe told the Atlantic, while also confirming he has had no direct contact with Rowling since her tweets in June 2020.
Radcliffe explained that his career “would not have happened without” Rowling, saying, “nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person.”
However, that doesn’t mean Radcliffe is morally obligated to agree with Rowling’s personal beliefs.
“That doesn’t mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life,” Radcliffe said.
The “Merrily We Roll Along” Broadway actor reflected on his own statement in 2020 that voiced his support for transgender people in the wake of Rowling’s viral tweets.
“I’d worked with [LGBTQ non-profit organization] the Trevor Project for 12 years and it would have seemed like, I don’t know, immense cowardice to me to not say something,” Radcliffe said. “I 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. […] I will continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people, and have no further comment than that.”
Radcliffe told IndieWire in 2022 that the “Potter” franchise has resonated with “so many queer and trans kids and young people” and that he felt a responsibility to support fans.
“I’ve met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that. And so seeing them hurt on that day I was like, I wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important,” Radcliffe said. “I don’t think I would’ve been able to look myself in the mirror had I not said anything.”
While Radcliffe has cut ties with Rowling, Warner Bros. Discovery has not, and has doubled down on working with the controversial author. An upcoming “Harry Potter” series on Max will adapt all seven books, with more prequel films in the works as well.
Max and HBO Content Head Casey Bloys called Rowling’s controversial transphobic public stance a “very online conversation, very nuanced and complicated” and not relevant to the adaptation of her novels.
“Our priority is what’s on the screen,” Bloys said. “Obviously, the ‘Harry Potter’ story is incredibly affirmative and positive and about love and self-acceptance. That’s our priority — what’s on screen.”
