Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Topics: JK Rowling, Harry Potter, Transgender, LGBTQ, Celebrity, News
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: JK Rowling, Harry Potter, Transgender, LGBTQ, Celebrity, News
Tom Felton has become the latest Harry Potter star to comment on the controversy surrounding JK Rowling.
Many Harry Potter fans have been left feeling aggrieved with the author of late in the wake of her views on transgender women.
Rowling really ruffled people's feathers after she celebrated the UK Supreme Court's ruling that transgender women were not legally women.
But Rowling's feelings on trans women long predates this recent development after she reportedly liked a tweet in 2018 that described them as 'men in dresses'.
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In the wake of the backlash, many Harry Potter stars have spoken out in support on the trans community — including Ron Weasley actor, Rupert Grint, as well as Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.
He said in a 2020 statement: "I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers. Trans women are women. Trans men are men."
Now Tom Felton, who is best known for playing Draco Malfoy in the popular wizarding world series, has weighed in.
Speaking to Variety, the actor was asked about how the controversy on Twitter about Rowling impacts him and his work.
"I'm not really that attuned to it," Felton replied. "[...] I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter. She's responsible for that, so I'm incredibly grateful."
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Felton's comments come after it was recently revealed that he's reprising his role of Draco Malfoy on Broadway at the Lyric Theatre in New York later this year for the Harry Potter And The Cursed Child play.
The production said he was the 'first actor from the films to reprise' their role on stage, and this will be Felton’s Broadway debut.
He said: “Being a part of the Harry Potter films has been one of the greatest honours of my life. Joining this production will be a full-circle moment for me, because when I begin performances in Cursed Child this fall, I’ll also be the exact age Draco is in the play.
“It’s surreal to be stepping back into his shoes – and of course his iconic platinum blond hair – and I am thrilled to be able to see his story through and to share it with the greatest fan community in the world.
“I look forward to joining this incredible company and being a part of the Broadway community.”
He will begin his run in Harry Potter And The Cursed Child on November 11 for a limited 19 weeks.