While it wouldn’t be fair to simplify matters by saying that people were ready to throw Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling under the bus for her controversial and transphobic statements, as it often turns out to be the case with ‘cancel culture,’ some folks like Jason Isaacs might be of the opinion that we shouldn’t judge matters merely in terms of black and white.
The British actor, who portrayed Lucius Malfoy in the Wizarding World, recently sat down to have a chat with The Telegraph, where he discussed the scandal that ultimately disgraced the Harry Potter creator in the eyes of media and public, not to mention the several high-profile cast members from the franchise who vehemently opposed her stances.
From his perspective, though, the matter of whether Rowling is a good person is “complicated,” so he isn’t going to turn his back on the author without the two of them having a conversation first.
“There’s a bunch of stuff about Jo. You know, I play complicated people, I’m interested in complicated people. I don’t want to get drawn into the trans issues, talking about them, because it’s such an extraordinary minefield,” He said. “She has her opinions, I have mine. They differ in many different areas.
But one of the things that people should know about her too — not as a counter-argument — is that she has poured an enormous amount of her fortune into making the world a much better place, for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children, through her charity Lumos. And that is unequivocally good. Many of us Harry Potter actors have worked for it, and seen on the ground the work that they do. So for all that she has said some very controversial things, I was not going to be jumping to stab her in the front — or back — without a conversation with her, which I’ve not managed to have yet.”
However you feel about Isaacs and his sentiments, he’s right about one thing; Rowling famously lost her position as a billionaire back in 2012 because of her extraordinary philanthropic efforts. So I guess when all is said and done about the controversial author, that factoid should account for something.