Daniel Radcliffe wades into JK Rowling trans row AGAIN as Harry Potter star unleashes fresh verdict on author

Daniel Radcliffe wades into JK Rowling trans row AGAIN as Harry Potter star unleashes fresh verdict on author

WATCH HERE: Mike Parry insists 'give JK Rowling a damehood' in trans debate

GB NEWS
Alex Davies

By Alex Davies


Published: 01/05/2024

- 09:49

The actor, to this day, remains the face of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series

Daniel Radcliffe has shared new remarks on Harry Potter author JK Rowling after the pair publicly displayed their opposing views on the trans debate.

Rowling, who of late has been embroiled in public spats with trans newsreader India Willoughby, has for years argued her belief in the importance of biological sex.


The Edinburgh-based author even encouraged police to "arrest" her following Scotland's rollout of its heavily criticised hate crime bill.

She's also locked horns with GB News regular Albie Amankona on X over trans rights rows while she was branded by former PM Boris Johnson as a "modern saint" for her outspoken views.

Rowling's stance on trans rights is one that's in opposition to that of Radcliffe and several other Harry Potter stars.

Now, in a new interview, Radcliffe has admitted he hasn't spoken to the author for years and branded the fallout over their trans views as "sad".

JK Rowling

JK Rowling: Harry Potter author has been staunch in her defence of biological sex

GETTY

The 34-year-old said: "It makes me really sad, ultimately 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."

Referring back to his initial opposition to Rowling's trans remarks back in 2020, Radcliffe claimed it would have shown "immense cowardice" not to have spoken out against the 58-year-old.

He added to the Atlantic: "I wanted to try and help people that had been negatively affected by the comments.

"And to say that if those are Jo’s views, then they are not the views of everybody associated with the Potter franchise."

Harry Potter cast

Harry Potter cast: Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson were the faces of the franchise

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The actor's opposition to Rowling's stance comes following his work with the non-profit charity The Trevor Project, an American-based organisation that focuses on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youngsters.

When he first spoke out against Rowling's social media tirades, Radcliffe said via the organisation in 2020: "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."

JK Rowling's representatives have been contacted by GB News for comment regarding Radcliffe's latest remarks.

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe: Harry Potter star shares fresh comments on JK Rowling's trans views

GETTY

Radcliffe wasn't the only actor from the films to speak out against Rowling's views when her comments first hit headlines back in 2020.

Ron Weasley star Rupert Grint said in a statement at the time: "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."

Emma Watson, who completed the iconic trio of child actors from the Harry Potter films, also agreed with her fellow actors.

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