Daniel Radcliffe Defends His Move to Speak Out Against J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has been a subject of controversies in the past few years, particularly due to her comments against the transgender community which is perceived as transphobic. Her views have been publicly criticized by a lot of fans as well as the stars of the franchise including Harry Potter himself.

Speaking recently with IndieWire, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe explained the reason why he opted to speak out against the author behind the franchise that he starred in and gave him a breakout role that led to his blossoming acting career.

The actor pointed out that he felt the need to let the fans know that not everyone in the franchise shares the same views as Rowling. It is in reference to the open letter that he penned back in June 2020 where he emphasized his support for the transgender community in the midst of the author's comments.

"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," he said.

"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 also discussed his work with The Trevor Project, an organization behind the world's largest suicide prevention hotline for LGBTQ+ youth, which he has been doing since 2010. It's also the outlet where his 2020 letter was published.

He added, "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."

Radcliffe's outspoken support for the transgender community was appreciated by a lot of fans. Other actors in the franchise such as Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Eddie Redmayne, Miriam Margoyles, and more have also spoken out against the author while Ralph Fiennes recently showed his support for Rowling.

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All Harry Potter films are available to stream on Peacock.