Photo-Illustration: By The Cut; Photos: Getty Images
With HBO’s 2027 Harry Potter adaptation on the horizon, the many actors cast in the project are navigating being the public faces of a series executive-produced by J.K. Rowling. The involvement of the original books’ author, who is now a billionaire and an “activist” intent on stripping trans women of their rights, has prompted widespread criticism. But Bel Powley, who’s playing Petunia Dursley, wants you to know she doesn’t agree with Rowling’s political ambitions — she just really loves the story.
When asked about her relationship with the author in an interview with The Telegraph Monday, Powley had a response ready to go. “I strongly disagree with J.K. Rowling’s views on gender,” she said. “I think that the trans community deserves safety and dignity and respect and total acceptance.”
“But I love Harry Potter,” Powley added. “I grew up with the books. I am from that first generation of readers, and, again, I love magic and spookiness.”
Powley is not the first cast member to speak out against Rowling’s incendiary politics. Earlier this year, John Lithgow, who’s playing Albus Dumbledore, told the New York Times he considered exiting the series after he received backlash from fans who felt betrayed by his willingness to associate with Rowling. The 80-year-old clarified that he has not met the author and does not agree with her comments, noting that the HBO adaptation was “clearly on the side of the angels, against intolerance and bigotry.”
Over the past six years, Rowling has repeatedly accused trans people of “cross-dressing” in order to harm cis women and perpetuated the dangerous myth that young trans kids will “grow out of their dysphoria.” The original Harry Potter stars have also taken pains to distance themselves from her campaigns. When Rowling first shared this stance publicly in 2020, Emma Watson, the original Hermione Granger, wrote on Twitter, “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned.” Daniel Radcliffe also rebuked Rowling’s comments that year, writing via the Trevor Project, “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.”
It’s unclear how much Rowling, who has a habit of putting her immense wealth toward anti-trans causes, stands to make off the new series, though HBO is currently planning a seven-season run. She seems to have the network’s firm support — in 2024, while developing the adaptation, HBO chief Casey Bloys told reporters that Rowling was “very, very involved in the process, selecting the writer and the director,” and that her statements about trans women “haven’t affected the casting or hiring of writers or production staff.” Additionally, an HBO spokesperson told Variety at the time that Rowling “has a right to express her personal views” and that the series “will only benefit from her involvement.” Heard, loud and clear.