Daniel Radcliffe has opened up about why he decided to speak out against Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s transphobic comments.
In an interview with IndieWire, the actor at the center of the films based around Rowling’s books reflected on his 2020 open letter published at the peak of the backlash against the author. “
The reason I was 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,” said Racliffe, who stars in the completely fictional Weird Al biopic Weird. “And so seeing them hurt on that day I was like, I wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important.”
In his letter, which was shared via LGBTQ suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization the Trevor Project, Radcliffe said he felt “compelled to say something” after Rowling continued to share hateful rhetoric directed at the trans community. “It was really important as I’ve worked with the Trevor Project for more than 10 years, and so I don’t think I would’ve been able to look myself in the mirror had I not said anything,” he added. “But it’s not mine to guess what’s going on in someone else’s head.”
Ever since Radcliffe shared his response to Rowling’s comments, she’s only further committed to spreading her disdain for the trans community. Earlier this year, for instance, Rowling offered praise Matt Walsh’s controversial anti-trans film What Is a Woman?, per Pink News. Walsh is a far-right political commentator and self-described “theocratic fascist” who has committed extensive effort to anti-trans rhetoric.