Daniel Radcliffe ‘very sad’ about J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans rhetoric

Daniel Radcliffe ‘very sad’ about J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans rhetoric

Don’t look for Daniel Radcliffe and J.K. Rowling will reunite in the near future.

Radcliffe rose to fame as a child actor starring as Harry Potter in the film franchise based on Rowling’s hugely successful book series.

But the pair have split when it comes to trans rights.

In a recently published interview with The Atlantic, Radcliffe spoke about Rowling’s past comments that many have considered anti-trans.

“It makes me really sad because I look at the people I met, the time we met, and the books she wrote, and the world she created, and all of that to me is very empathetic,” he said, adding that he and Rowling have not been in touch since a few years ago.

In 2020, Rowling posted a series of tweets in response to an article that used the phrase “menstruating people” and has expressed her view that aspects of the trans movement undermine women’s rights.

CNN has reached out to Rowling’s representatives for comment.

Radcliffe released a statement through the Trevor Project shortly after Rowling’s broadcast in 2020.

“Transgender women are women,” she wrote in her statement. “Any statement to the contrary erases transgender identity and dignity and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have more expertise in this matter than either [Rowling] or I.”

Radcliffe and his “Harry Potter” co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have individually expressed their support for the trans community, something the British media in particular has seized on in terms of cast members as opposed to the women whose books helped give them their careers.

“There’s a version of ‘Are these three kids ungrateful?’ that people always want to write, and finally they get to do it,” he told the Atlantic. “So, good for them, I guess.”

But while he noted that “obviously Harry Potter wouldn’t have happened without” Rowling and as a result “nothing in my life could possibly have happened the way it did without that person,” he added, “But that doesn’t mean you owe things that you really— really trust other people all your life.”

Rowling recently posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) about a report whose findings are being touted as confirmation of her views. One follower noted that they were “just waiting for Dan and Emma to give you a public apology.”

Rowling replied, “Not safe, I’m afraid.” He described the three as “celebrities who support a movement that aims to erode women’s hard-won rights.”

“I will continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people, and have no further comment beyond that,” Radcliffe told the Atlantic in response.