Daniel Radcliffe Expresses Disappointment Over J.K. Rowling’s Repeated Anti-Transgender Remarks

Daniel Radcliffe, known for being the iconic boy wizard in the Harry Potter film series, shared his feelings about J.K. Rowling’s controversial anti-transgender statements.

“It makes me really sad, ultimately,” he told The Atlantic, noting that he has had no direct communication with Rowling since her anti-transgender outbursts. “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.”

After Rowling’s transphobic comments in 2020, Radcliffe took a stand for the transgender community via a statement through The Trevor Project. He wrote, “I realize that certain press outlets will probably want to paint this as in-fighting between J.K. Rowling and myself, but that is really not what this is about, nor is it what’s important right now.”

Radcliffe explained that he wrote the statement to reassure fans that Rowling’s views do not represent the entire Harry Potter creative team. He had worked with The Trevor Project for over a decade, so he felt it would be cowardly to remain silent. He wanted to extend his support to those negatively affected by Rowling’s comments and emphasized that her views do not align with everyone involved in the Potter franchise.

While Radcliffe has acknowledged Rowling’s role in his career and expresses gratitude for it, he believes that he and his fellow cast members are not obligated to endorse all of her opinions. “There’s a version of ‘Are these three kids ungrateful brats?’ that [the press] have always wanted to write, and they were finally able to,” he said. “So, good for them. 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.”

Rowling recently made headlines when responding to a social media user’s expectation of public apologies from Radcliffe and Emma Watson. In her response, Rowling dismissed the notion, expressing her concerns about eroding women’s rights and the impact on detransitioners and women who rely on single-sex spaces.

When questioned about this incident, Radcliffe stated that he would continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ individuals and declined to provide further comment.