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She finally broke her silence.
By Sanika Nalgirkar — Written on Aug 30, 2022
Harry Potter fans wondered why J.K. Rowling decided to skip the “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts” when it premiered on May 20, 2022, however, it seems she has broken her silence.
Fans were excited to see the cast of their beloved series 20 years after the first movie was released. However, many came up with numerous speculations as to why Rowling was nowhere to be seen.
While Rowling had been present in archival footage, she didn’t make an in-person appearance. Many people thought Rowling's previous anti-trans comments were what led to her being uninvited. However, she claims that is not the case.
Why J.K. Rowling didn’t attend the ‘Harry Potter’ reunion?
In a recent radio interview with Graham Norton, Rowling spoke about her absence from the reunion.
During the conversation about Harry Potter, Norton brought up when Rowling was excluded from the reunion but she denied that she had been excluded. Rowling replied, “I was asked to be on that. I decided I didn’t want to do it.”
As the author of the series, she felt she had no reason to be there as it wasn’t about the books.
She said, “I thought it was about the films more than the books, quite rightly. I mean that was what the anniversary was about.”
She further emphasized that she didn’t have any bad blood with anyone. Rowling said, “No one said, ‘don’t come’. I was asked to do it but I decided not to.”
While Rowling has mentioned that it was her choice to not go to the reunion, whether or not there is any bad blood between her and the actors remains up in the air.
When asked where she stands with the stars now, Rowling said, “Yes, I do. I mean some more than others but that was always the case. Some, I knew better than others.”
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have spoken about their relationship with J.K. Rowling.
The three main actors of the Harry Potter series have been somewhat critical of Rowling's anti-trans stance,
Radcliffe spoke out directly in a statement issued after Rowling received much backlash, saying, “Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I.”
He also emphasized that he bears no ill feelings towards Rowling and felt he needed to speak up regarding the issue. Grint and Watson have also shown their support for trans people.
Watson tweeted on her Twitter account, “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.”
She further mentioned that she donates to charities supporting trans people and encouraged her followers to do the same.
In a statement issued to The Times, Grint said, “I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers. Trans women are women. Trans men are men.”
Sanika Nalgirkar is a News & Entertainment Writer based in India. She has a master's degree in Creative Writing. See more of her writing on her website.