Behind the curtains of HBO's much-anticipated Harry Potter reboot, whispers of wand-wielding drama are emerging. J.K. Rowling has responded to a speculative article questioning whether she would "dismiss" actor Paapa Essiedu, who has been tapped to portray Potions Professor Severus Snape in the upcoming series.
Last week, Essiedu, accompanied by Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne and Harry Potter film series veteran Katie Leung, appended his signature to an open letter alongside over 400 others. This collective call-to-action urged the U.K.'s entertainment industry to pledge protection for the trans community, following the U.K. Supreme Court's ruling that trans women should not be legally recognized as women, reaffirming that "sex" legally corresponds to biological sex.
Initially, Rowling's Sunday post on X seemed to obliquely allude to the Harry Potter actors, lambasting petition signers without naming names. She penned, "Some contend that those who append their names to such letters are motivated by fear: fear for their careers, of course, but also trepidation stemming from co-religionists, who encompass enraged, narcissistic men who threaten and sometimes perpetrate violence upon non-believers; treacherous colleagues ever poised to report dissent."
Yet, on Monday morning, Rowling tweeted an image of a U.K. tabloid report, which cited unnamed sources predicting that Rowling, as an executive producer on the HBO series, would not terminate Essiedu and would be "utterly indifferent" to his "defiance."
Rowling subsequently clarified her stance: "I lack the authority to terminate an actor from the series, and even if I possessed it, I would not wield it. I拒绝剥夺他人因持有受法律保护的不同信仰而赖以生存的工作或生计。"
Essiedu, a British actor who has previously graced shows like I May Destroy You and Black Mirror, finds himself at the center of this storm.
Rowling's tweet arrived on the heels of HBO's The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal lambasting Rowling for her "heinous loser behavior," following the author's jubilant response to the court ruling (Rowling had posted, "I love it when a plan comes together," and noted to a critic, "I receive the same royalties whether you read [my books] or burn them").
It also trails the indifference expressed by Harry Potter star John Lithgow, who has been cast as Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, brushing aside concerns pertaining to Rowling's views. "I pondered, why should this be a consideration at all?" said the 79-year-old Lithgow, who garnered an Oscar nomination for his groundbreaking role as a trans ex-football player in the 1982 film The World According to Garp. "I wonder how J.K. Rowling has internalized it. Presumably, I'll meet her at some point, and I'm eager to converse with her." When asked if criticism stemming from his role in the series had dampened his spirits, Lithgow replied, "Oh, heavens no."
HBO chief Casey Bloys has previously dismissed concerns about potential backlash, pointing to the success of the Hogwarts Legacy video game, which also faced boycott calls due to Rowling's trans views, yet emerged as the top-selling game of 2023.
During a recent interview with The Town podcast, Bloys added that Rowling is entitled to her political standpoint. "It's quite evident that those are her personal, political views," Bloys stated. "She's entitled to hold them. Harry Potter is not covertly infused with anything. And if you wish to debate her, Twitter awaits. Our decision to collaborate with J.K. Rowling is not unprecedented. We've been in business for 25 years."
HBO's Harry Potter reimagines the seven-novel book series into a TV series, with each book adapted into a standalone season. The show recently unveiled its core adult cast and is poised to reveal the young actors portraying the show's pivotal roles. Last year, HBO announced its intention to commence filming in mid-2025.
