Tom Felton says J.K. Rowling’s contentious views didn't affect his Harry Potter stage return

Tom Felton is speaking out about Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s contentious viewpoints that have caused controversy in the past. The British actor, who is set to reprise his role as Draco Malfoy from the original blockbuster films for the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, spoke to Variety recently at the Tony Awards, and shared that his decision to appear as Draco Malfoy again after two decades was not related to Rowling’s controversy-causing opinions.

Felton admitted to Variety that he wasn’t very familiar with the difference of opinion between the larger Harry Potter fandom and the popular series’ author. Felton was asked if his work on the Broadway production was affected by the discord between fans and Rowling. Felton said,

“I can’t say it does. I’m not really that attuned to it.”

Tom Felton went on to explain his position, and said,

“The only thing I always remind myself is that I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world — here I am in New York — and I have not seen anything bring the world together more than ‘Potter,’ and she’s responsible for that, so I’m incredibly grateful.”

About J.K. Rowling’s controversial opinions

J. K. Rowling first expressed that she was critical of laws favoring transgender people when she disagreed with the Scottish government’s legal relaxation that allowed trans people to alter their birth certificates, as per Reuters.

Rowling also expanded on her views in a detailed essay posted on her website in 2020. The Guardian noted that the author claimed that her views arose from her own experience of domestic ab*se and s*xual assa*lt and she argued that while she supports transgender people’s right to equality, safety and dignity, she was concerned about the erosion of women-only spaces.

Rowling has been alienating the Harry Potter fandom with her controversial tweets and posts on social media, and activists felt that her assertions were ‘anit-trans’ and were jeopardising the young LGBTQ community, as per NBC News.

Further, Vanity Fair noted that Harry Potter fan website operators and advocacy group members criticized Rowling’s positions, while simultaneously affirming the value of the Harry Potter universe in their lives. According to the publication, a trans Harry Potter fan while feeling alienated from the author, said,

“I don’t want to give J.K. Rowling the satisfaction of taking away from me something that I loved as a kid.”

Fans were critical of Tom Felton’s comments on J.K. Rowling

The Independent reported that Tom Felton’s comments during the Tony Awards were not well-received by Harry Potter fans who are generally critical of J.K. Rowling’s position on the issue of trans rights. The publication noted that one fan, while expressing disappointment with Tom Felton, said,

“This is what privilege looks like, and we shouldn’t ignore how much harm looking the other way because things don’t affect us directly does.”

While Tom Felton’s comments on J.K. Rowling have been criticized by fans, other actors from the original Harry Potter films, such as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have firmly disagreed with the author and have expressed their support for trans rights.

As per BBC, Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the films, expressed his position and said in 2020,

"It's clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities.”

BBC reported that Watson and Grint have also separately shared that they believe trans rights should be protected.

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