Who did Keira Knightley play in Harry Potter? Actress says she was unaware of JK Rowling boycott before joining audiobook

While Keira Knightley was not in the original Harry Potter film series, she later joined to voice the character of Professor Umbridge in the audiobook series. Pottermore Publishing and Audible on September 10 announced the additional cast members for their Harry Potter: The Full Cast Audio Editions.

While speaking to Decider in an interview published on October 10, Keira Knightley mentioned that she was not aware of the boycott movement surrounding the series created by J.K Rowling, following Rowling's transphobic comments in a 2020 essay.

"I was not aware of that, no. I'm very sorry. I think we're all living in a period of time right now where we're all going to have to figure out how to live together, aren't we. We've all got very different opinions. I hope that we can all find respect."

Keira Knightley seems to have taken a neutral stance, and it's not clear if she'll be joining the boycott movement. The audiobook with Keira Knightley is slated for release on November 4, 2025 with the first book in the series.

What is the Harry Potter boycott movement that Keira Knightley is not aware of?

In 2020, J.K Rowling published a transphobic 3,800 word essay on her personal website. Rowling in the essay alleged that the transgender "movement" is doing "demonstrable harm" to cisgender women. In 2023, Rowling took to X to write that she would,

"happily do two years (in prison) if the alternative is compelled speech and forced denial of the reality and importance of sex"

Rowling has also repeatedly expressed concern of laws or practices that allow trans women into women's spaces.

"When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he's a woman...you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside."

Following Rowling's public comments on gender and the trans community, fans entered a boycott movement where they refused to buy new Harry Potter related merchandise or tickets to projects that earn the author royalties. Bookshops and fan accounts chose not to promote Rowling's works and several stars that were a part of the original cast spoke out against Rowling.

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Daniel Radcliffe who played Harry Potter in the film franchise published a piece via The Trevor Project, an organization that protects Transgender youth in 2020. He was followed by Emma Watson who played Hermione Granger and Rupert Grint who played Ron Weasley, who shared their own statements in support of the transgender community.

Eddie Redmayne, star of the Fantastic Beasts franchise, also published a statement condemning Rowling's views. Other stars that have spoken out in support of the trans-community include Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Chris Ranking, Katie Leung, Scarlett Hefner-nee-Byrne, and Arthur Levine, among others.

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