J.K. Rowling has publicly rebuked Emma Watson following the actor’s recent remarks about their strained relationship, once again escalating a years-long rift that began over the author’s views on transgender communities. Following Watson’s appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, during which the actress essentially said she could never “cancel” Rowling and has fond memories of working on the Harry Potter movies despite disagreeing with the author’s often controversial political and gender-related views. It looks like Rowling isn’t really interested in any internal conflict Watson or any of the other former Potter stars have in relation to her.
Sharing a lengthy response on her X account, Rowling slammed Watson as being someone who was “cushioned by wealth and fame” from a young age, and “has so little experience of real life she’s ignorant of how ignorant she is.” This in part, in Rowling’s statement, comes from the fact that before publishing her first Harry Potter book, she spent most of her time writing in a café because she could not afford to heat her home. Watson, by contrast, according to the author, has been brought up in financial security through her involvement in the Harry Potter movies, so has not experienced the things she, Rowling, has. Rowling wrote,
“I’m not owed eternal agreement from any actor who once played a character I created. The idea is as ludicrous as me checking with the boss I had when I was 21 for what opinions I should hold these days. Emma Watson and her co-stars have every right to embrace gender identity ideology. Such beliefs are legally protected, and I wouldn’t want to see any of them threatened with loss of work, or violence, or death, because of them.
“However, Emma and Dan in particular have both made it clear over the last few years that they think our former professional association gives them a particular right – nay, obligation – to critique me and my views in public. Years after they finished acting in ‘Potter,’ they continue to assume the role of de facto spokespeople for the world I created.”
The Controversy Surrounding J.K. Rowling Will Not Go Away
When the new Harry Potter TV show was announced, there was an instant knee-jerk reaction over how involved Rowling would be with the project. Calls for boycotts filled social media, and this led to many statements being made in relation to how HBO and Warner Bros. did not share the personal opinions of the author and these had no bearing on the show. However, years after it began, the discourse over Rowling’s vocal stance on transgender issues is still a heightened topic of conversation. Perhaps this is most notable for the author’s constant posts on social media, which continue to divide opinions.
As part of her reaction to Watson’s podcast appearance, the author highlighted that the actress has never had to endure the things she has in her life, including being subjected to domestic and sexual abuse, something she spoke candidly about for the first time in 2020. At the time, she addressed this as being one reason for her speaking out against mixed-sex areas and transgender issues. She said at the time:
"I'm mentioning these things now not in an attempt to garner sympathy, but out of solidarity with the huge numbers of women who have histories like mine, who've been slurred as bigots for having concerns around single-sex spaces."
Obviously, Rowling’s new comments have once again flared up the debate online, and suggest that this is not a topic that is about to disappear under an invisibility cloak anytime soon.
