Bel Powley is starring in the TV adaptation of the Harry Potter books, but has said she ‘strongly disagrees’ with JK Rowling’s stance on the transgender community.
The author of the wizarding series of books has mounted a sustained attack on the trans community in recent years, which has plagued announcements on the HBO adaptation of her books.
Cast members have been asked to answer for their decision to join the project, given that Rowling has become a prominent force in the trans-exclusionary radical feminist movement.
Powley, who is set to play Harry’s Aunt Petunia, is the latest star of the TV show to distance herself from Rowling’s gender critical views, after John Lithgow and Paapa Essiedu.
The 34-year-old said in an interview with The Telegraph that she ‘strongly disagrees with Rowling’s views on gender’.
She said: ‘I think that the trans community deserve safety and dignity and respect and total acceptance. But, I love Harry Potter.
‘I grew up with the books. I am from that first generation of readers and, again, I love magic and spookiness.’
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In 2024, Rowling donated £70,000 to For Women Scotland, the campaign group that pushed for the UK Supreme Court ruling that transgender women are not considered women under the Equality Act.
After the ruling, the author shared a photo on social media of herself smoking a cigar on a yacht, with the caption: ‘I love it when a plan comes together.’
Rowling routinely misgenders trans people on X, has said that there ‘are no trans kids’ and was named in a cyberbullying lawsuit filed by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif in 2024.
Her behaviour has prompted calls for a boycott of the Harry Potter show, given that Rowling is on board as an executive producer for the series.
HBO CEO Casey Bloys has said that Rowling was ‘very, very involved in the process’ of selecting the showrunner and director of the adaptation.
Rowling’s relationship with the three stars of the original Harry Potter films appears to have broken down, after they came out in support of the trans community. She has also fired back at Christopher Columbus, who directed the first two films in the series, after he said her views were ‘very sad’.
Metro contacted JK Rowling’s representative, who had no comment on this story.
The Harry Potter TV show premieres on Christmas Day on HBO and Sky.