Daniel Radcliffe, the star of Harry Potter, discusses his decision to come against the J.K. Rowling’s transphobic remarks. Today, Radcliffe’s name is linked with Harry Potter, as the English actor catapulted to international stardom as The Boy Who Lived in all eight film episodes, beginning at the age of 12 in 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The Golden Trio, which included Radcliffe, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, was the soul of the Harry Potter movies that defined a generation.
J.K. Rowling is the author of the best-selling Harry Potter novels that inspired the blockbuster movie, as well as the screenwriter of the Fantastic Beasts prequel trilogy, which has mostly failed to recapture the original series’ charm. Rowling’s recurrent transphobic comments have soiled the reputation of the Harry Potter franchise in recent years. Radcliffe spoke out against Rowling in 2020, writing an open letter for The Trevor Project in which he expressed his undying support for transgender persons.
Radcliffe is talking up about his statements in an interview with IndieWire, more than two years after he made them. The Harry Potter star revealed why he felt compelled to speak out, stating he was concerned about the LGBTQ+ Harry Potter lovers who may have been offended by Rowling’s words. Radcliffe further claims that if he hadn’t spoken out about Rowling, he wouldn’t be able to “see [himself] in the mirror.” Read his entire remarks below:
“The reason I was felt very, very much as though I needed to say something when I did was because, particularly since finishing Potter, 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. It was really important as I’ve worked with the Trevor Project for more than 10 years, and so I don’t think I would’ve been able to look myself in the mirror had I not said anything. But it’s not mine to guess what’s going on in someone else’s head.”
Will Daniel Radcliffe Ever Reappear In The Harry Potter Franchise?
More than a decade after the Harry Potter film series concluded with The Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Radcliffe remains the franchise’s face and accepts the responsibility that comes with it, even if it involves speaking against its creator for her controversial statements. While Rowling’s ideas have soured some on the Harry Potter brand, there is still significant anticipation in seeing its original stars – Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson – return. A film version of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a stage play created by Rowling and set nineteen years after the events of The Deathly Hallows, would have the best chance of happening.
As things currently stand, Radcliffe is very unlikely to return to the Harry Potter franchise anytime soon. Earlier this year, Radcliffe ruled out a Cursed Child film adaptation, stating it isn’t something he’s interested in right now but would be open to in the future. For the time being, Potterheads can only hope that Radcliffe changes his mind eventually, but in the meanwhile, he can be seen in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which premieres on The Roku Channel on November 4th.
Source: IndieWire