What happened between Emma Watson and J.K. Rowling? Feud explored as the actress breaks silence on their rift

Emma Watson has broken her silence on her feud with J.K. Rowling.

The Harry Potter actress has been famously feuding with the author of the books of the same name for years over her controversial views on the transgender community.

During her recent appearance on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, Watson discussed Rowling's anti-trans views and her fallout in recent years. Acknowledging the latter's claims that Watson and her co-stars “ruined” the films for her, Watson said that she still thinks it's possible for her to disagree with the British author and value her time on set:

“It’s my deepest wish that people who don’t agree with my opinion will love me, and I hope I can keep loving people who I don’t necessarily share the same opinion with.”

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The drama between J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter actors explored:

J.K. Rowling first made headlines for her anti-trans sentiments in 2020, when she published an essay about surviving s*xual assault. In it, she cited arguments about

“femaleness not residing in the s*xed body … deeply misogynistic and regressive," per The Guardian.

All three stars of the films, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, slammed the sentiments. The latter took to social media to pen:

“Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned.”

J.K. Rowling doubled down on her sentiments last year when she responded to a post that asked:

“What actor/actress instantly ruins a movie for you?” She wrote: “Three guesses. Sorry, but that was irresistible,” followed by three laughing emojis.

Daniel Radcliffe, who played the titular character, also declared his support for the trans community in 2020 via a statement issued by The Trevor Project, which is a suicide prevention charity for youth belonging to the LGBT+ community.

“Transgender women are women,” he said at the time, noting that J.K. Rowling is “unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken”, but he felt “compelled to say something at this moment”. He added: “The reason I 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.”

Just last year, he revealed that he hadn't spoken to the author in years.

“It makes me really sad, ultimately,” he said, “because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.”

As for Rupert Grint, he said in 2020:

"I firmly stand with the trans community... Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment."

Ralph Fiennes, who famously played Lord Voldemort in the movies, voiced his support for the author, per BBC. At the time, he called the backlash against her "disgusting" and "appalling".

Eddie Izzard and Helena Bonham Carter also echoed the sentiments, adding that J.K. Rowling's views were not transphobic but instead a reflection of her own experiences of abuse.

“It’s been taken to the extreme, the judgmentalism of people. She’s allowed her opinion, particularly if she’s suffered abuse," Carter reportedly told the Times, per The Guardian.

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