'Harry Potter' Actor Defends J.K. Rowling Against Verbal Abuse Over Trans Views
The author has previously come under fire for her controversial remarks about the transgender community.
Harry Potter actor Ralph Fiennes is once again coming to J.K. Rowling's defense as the author continues to find herself at the center of a years-long major controversy.
Rowling, the mind behind the bestselling fantasy series, previously came under fire after making comments that many deemed insensitive to the transgender community, causing her to receive an onslaught of hate and even death threats.
Fiennes, 59—perhaps better known as his devilish character, Lord Voldemort—recently interviewed with the New York Times, where he revealed that he finds the backlash against Rowling a bit over the top.
"J.K. Rowling has written these great books about empowerment, about young children finding themselves as human beings," he told the publication. "It's about how you become a better, stronger, more morally centered human being. The verbal abuse directed at her is disgusting, it's appalling."
Fiennes acknowledged that while he understands why Rowling's comments may have ruffled some feathers, the severity of the hate against her has gotten out of hand in many cases. In November 2021, Rowling tweeted to say that she's received "so many death threats I could paper the house with them."
For those who need a refresher, Rowling first ignited controversy back in 2020 with a tweet about an op-ed that used the phrase "people who menstruate" instead of "women." After her comments were widely considered to be trans-exclusionary, she later doubled down on her stance with more tweets, stating in part, "I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives."
In his conversation with the Times, Fiennes added, "I mean, I can understand a viewpoint that might be angry at what she says about women. But it's not some obscene, über right-wing fascist. It's just a woman saying, 'I'm a woman and I feel like I'm a woman and I want to be able to say that I'm a woman.' And I understand where she's coming from. Even though I'm not a woman."
It's not the first time Fiennes has come forward to defend Rowling, telling The Telegraph in 2021, "I can't understand the vitriol directed at her. I can understand the heat of an argument, but I find this age of accusation and the need to condemn irrational. I find the level of hatred that people express about views that differ from theirs, and the violence of language towards others, disturbing."
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