Keira Knightley recently faced backlash for her comments about J.K. Rowling. During her interview with Decider for the promotion of The Woman in Cabin 10, Knightley was asked about voicing Professor Umbridge for the Harry Potter audiobooks. When asked about the calls to boycott Rowling, Knightley shared that she wasn’t aware of them.
She told the outlet, “I was not aware of that, no. I’m very sorry.” However, she also shared that she believed in respecting others’ opinions and coexisting. She laughed off the idea of boycotting Rowling and shared:
I think we’re all living in a period of time right now — we’re all gonna have to figure out how to live together aren’t we? And we’ve all got very different opinions. So I hope that we can all find respect.
Fans weren’t happy with Knightley’s comments, with many sharing that she was asking them to co-exist with someone who didn’t believe trans people should exist. Others called Knightley’s perspective a privileged one. Some of the fan comments read:
oh Keira Knightley is OVER it 👏 pic.twitter.com/UZEWtzcKlO
This fucking sucks, man. The outward posture of hostility is so sad. https://t.co/3yylLGEB7w
"we need to figure out how to live together" while you support a person who is actively preventing that
Yes. Let’s all live respectfully with people who don’t see us as human.
Translation: I ain’t saying shit to mess up this Harry Potter bag 💰💰💰
telling someone they have to learn to “live with” people who want to deny their existence and encourage hate crimes on them is a very privledged take. im sure she would not have the same stance about “respect” if it was about a community she was apart of.
Rowling’s 2020 essay on trans activism made her unpopular among fans and the stars of the movie series. The author has since been an advocate against transgender ideology. Recently, when the Harry Potter audiobooks were launched, fans wanted to boycott them. They even unleashed their fury on stars who joined the project to lend their voice.
Other Celebrity Reactions to the Calls to Boycott J.K. Rowling
In response to J.K. Rowling’s comments on trans people, Harry Potter star Emma Watson issued a statement, which read, “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned”. During BAFTA 2022, Watson stood in front of the podium and announced, “I’m here for all of the witches.” Many considered this a dig towards the author.
Daniel Radcliffe, who played the central character, shared at the time that he did not want to “paint this as in-fighting between J.K. Rowling and myself.” However, he shared (via The Trevor Project):
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.
Rupert Grint shared in a statement, “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” (via Sunday Times). Bonnie Wright wrote on X at the time:
If Harry Potter was a source of love and belonging for you, that love is infinite and there to take without judgment or question. Transwomen are Women. I see and love you, Bonnie x
Eddie Redmayne, who starred in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, shared in a statement to Variety, “I disagree with Jo’s comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men, and nonbinary identities are valid.”
Ralph Fiennes came to the author’s defense. The actor who played Lord Voldemort shared that the abuse against Rowling was “disgusting” and “appalling” (via Variety). Helena Bonham Carter, who played Bellatrix Lestrange, shared that Rowling’s views weren’t transphobic but reflective of her experience with abuse (via The Times).
Rowling responded to Watson and other Harry Potter stars’ comments in a bitter way last year. While welcoming a review that raised concerns about gender identity services for children, a social media user replied to Rowling, “Just waiting for Dan and Emma to give you a very public apology… safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them…” (via BBC). However, Rowling coldly replied, “Not safe, I’m afraid.”
Jon Lithgow, who would play Dumbledore in the new Harry Potter series, took a stance similar to Keira Knightley. When asked about Rowling’s issue, he told The Times U.K., “I thought, why is this a factor at all?” He also shared that he was “curious to talk” to Rowling.
However, actors like Pedro Pascal and Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan were publicly critical of Rowling. When Rowling recently celebrated the Supreme Court ruling that transgender women should not be recognized as women, Pascal wrote in response, “Awful disgusting SH– is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior” (via PEOPLE).
Coughlan shared on her Instagram stories that she “wouldn’t touch [the series] with a ten-foot pole,” adding that this was a “new low” for Rowling (via PEOPLE). She shared, “Keep your new Harry Potter lads.”
Who Else Are Joining Keira Knightley in Voicing Harry Potter Audiobooks?
Last month, Pottermore Publishing and Audible announced ten more cast members who would join the Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions. Knightley, who would be voicing Umbridge in the fifth book, was among the new high-profile cast members who would narrate the audiobooks. Here are the ten new additions:
Frankie Treadaway, Max Lester, and Arabella Stanton are portraying the lead trio in audiobooks one to three. Stanton has also been cast as Hermione in the new Harry Potter series. Jaxon Knopf, Rhys Mulligan, and Nina Barker-Francis will take over the roles from the former three in the fourth audiobook.
Other previously announced cast members for the audiobooks include Cush Jumbo as the narrator, Hugh Laurie as Albus Dumbledore, Matthew Macfadyen as Lord Voldemort, Riz Ahmed as Professor Snape, Michelle Gomez as Professor McGonagall, Mark Addy as Hagrid, Alex Hassell as Lucius Malfoy, Daniel Mays as Dobby, and Sara and Avni Deshmukh as The Patil Twins.
What do you think of Keira Knightley’s comments on J.K. Rowling? Let us know in the comments below!
