Internet fans who support JK Rowling have reacted angrily to Emma Watson’s recent remarks about returning to the Harry Potter series. According to sources close to the actress, she is hesitant to return to the series if JK Rowling is involved. Many feel the actress’ choice was influenced by the author’s transphobic remarks. Watson’s choice, however, split the internet, with many stating that the 32-year-old actress owed her acting career to Rowling and the Harry Potter book series.
Emma Watson has said she will return to Harry Potter if JK wasn’t involved.
Please, without JK she would be a nobody. Be grateful.
— Sophie Corcoran 🇬🇧 (@sophielouisecc) June 24, 2022
Some netizens defend Emma Watson after her recent statements on JK Rowling
Dissatisfied internet users flocked to Twitter to express their displeasure with the actress, noting that she is most known for her portrayal of Hermoine Granger. Some referred to the actress as a “brat,” claiming that Rowling was a more important element of the Harry Potter franchise than Emma Watson. They said that the creator should have complete control over the franchise’s licensing rights. According to one user, Emma Watson hasn’t had a successful film since 2017.
Many people applaud Emma Watson for speaking out against transphobia
Not everyone agreed with the criticism leveled against Watson. One commenter paraphrased Rowling as saying that standing up to friends requires more guts than standing up to enemies. While one person claimed it was OK for the actress not to want to work with anybody, she disagreed:
Many people have pointed out that, although Watson was successful in the Harry Potter series, she has the right not to embrace JK Rowling’s anti-trans attitudes. Supporters also noted that neither Watson nor Rowling had responded to Miller’s recent scandals. Some supporters slammed detractors, claiming that Watson did not need to be thankful to the author.
Why was the actress chastised?
GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT recently revealed that Warner Bros. is considering filming a new Harry Potter film starring the original three Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. According to insiders close to the actress, she will only return to the series if JK Rowling is not engaged in any way. While Watson has not stated any reasons for her choice, many feel it is based on Rowling’s history of anti-trans statements.
Those saying that Emma Watson shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds, or that she should be grateful to JK Rowling, forget Rowling’s own quote from Dumbledore in the HP books: “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”
— David Hatton Books (@davidhattonbook) June 25, 2022
Rowling has a history of tweeting anti-trans remarks. The writer got harsh criticism from the online community, which dubbed her a TERF. Trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERF) embrace radical feminism and argue that a trans woman’s gender identification is invalid. Following the backlash from online users, all three stars, including Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson, decided to address the problem by sending supporting comments on their social media profiles to the trans community.