Harry Potter fans would love to be excited for Hogwarts Legacy, but the upcoming video game is inextricably tied into the wider controversies surrounding the Wizarding World. Apart from the ingrained antisemitism of its storyline, many don’t want to support something that will ultimately fund creator J.K. Rowling, who continues to share her anti-trans views online.
Someone who’s struggling with the exact same internal battle as the fans is Harry Potter star Rupert Grint, who has made no secret of the fact that he has a long-standing friendship with Rowling despite vehemently disagreeing with her opinions on trans people. Back in June 2020, when the Rowling controversy first blew up, Grint followed his former co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson in releasing a statement to distance himself from the creator.
“I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers. Trans women are women. Trans men are men,” the Ron Weasley actor stated. “We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgement.”
In March 2021, Grint opened up about why he decided to speak out at the time, outlining the complexity of his personal feelings. While admitting that he’s “hugely grateful” for Rowling’s role in his life, as well as calling her “extremely talented,” Grint declared, “I think also you can have huge respect for someone and still disagree with things like that.”
“Sometimes silence is even louder. I felt like I had to because I think it was important to. I mean, I don’t want to talk about all that…” he continued. “Generally, I’m not an authority on the subject. Just out of kindness, and just respecting people. I think it’s a valuable group that I think needs standing up for.”
His most recent comment on the situation came in a January 2022 interview, in which Grint framed his feelings in a way that many of his generation can relate to: likening Rowling to an out-of-touch aunt that you nonetheless care about. “I don’t necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but she’s still my auntie,” Grint told The Times. “It’s a tricky one.”
Overall, Rupert Grint’s response is perhaps somewhat softer towards Rowling as an individual than certain other Harry Potter alumni, but he has nevertheless made clear that he holds no truck with her harmful transphobic rhetoric, which has sadly proven to be the real legacy of Hogwarts.
Rupert Grint can be seen in Knock at the Cabin, out Feb. 3. Hogwarts Legacy, meanwhile, releases on Feb. 10.