Daniel Radcliffe has opened up about his rift with Harry Potter author JK Rowling, saying it “makes me really sad”.The book author, 58, has seen her relationship with stars of the film franchise deteriorate following her comments regarding the trans community in 2020.
Radcliffe, who portrayed the iconic wizard in all eight films, has now addressed the issue publicly for the first time since then.
In a new interview with The Atlantic, the 34-year-old actor revealed he hasn’t spoken to Rowling in years.
He 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.
“Jo, obviously Harry Potter would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person.
“But that doesn’t mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life.”
In the same interview, the star, who was nominated for a Tony Award on Tuesday, said that he will continue to support the rights of LGBT+ people following a critical report into the healthcare of children taking puberty blockers.
Rowling suggested, after the Cass Review was published in April, that she would not forgive the franchise’s stars, also including Emma Watson, if they apologised to her over their stance on trans issues.
Radcliffe responded by telling the outlet: “I will continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people, and have no further comment than that.”
After the Cass Report revealed that children had been let down due to a lack of research and evidence on hormones and puberty blockers, Rowling was asked on X if Radcliffe and Watson would be “safe in the knowledge” she would forgive them if they offered her a public apology.
Both stars had previously been outspoken in support of transgender people.
Rowling responded by saying: “Not safe, I’m afraid. Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single-sex spaces.”
The Scotland-based author, who has always denied being transphobic, had previously welcomed the review by Dr Hilary Cass, which said that young people have been caught up in a “stormy social discourse” and gender care is currently an area of “remarkably weak evidence”.
Since December 2019, Rowling has hit the headlines for her views on transgender issues and been criticised by fans of her novels and the world she created.
Radcliffe put out a statement in June 2020 through the LGBT suicide prevention charity The Trevor Project, saying “transgender women are women” and anything to the contrary “erases the identity and dignity” of people.
In a series of social media posts that same month, Watson, who played Hermione Granger, said: “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.
“I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are.”
Rupert Grint, known for the role of Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter film series; as well as Eddie Redmayne, who stars in Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts films, have also been outspoken in support of trans people following Rowling’s comments.
