Warwick Davis says he’s ‘not privy to JK Rowling backlash’ after joining HBO Harry Potter
Warwick Davis has said he’s ‘not really privy’ to the backlash surrounding Harry Potter (Getty Images)
Warwick Davis has urged people to be more accepting of those who are different amid ongoing backlash around HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV adaptation and JK Rowling’s views on gender identity.
Speaking to the Press Association (via The Independent) at the Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards, the 56-year-old actor said: “I’m not really privy to a lot of the backlash.”
Davis, who is returning as Hogwarts Charms professor Filius Flitwick in the new series, added: “I will just say though, I’m a person of difference but it would be nice if everyone could accept people who are different in this world for who they are, not for what they are.”
The long-form TV reboot, based on Rowling’s fantasy books, has divided fans, with criticism and calls for boycotts linked to the author’s public comments on gender identity.
Rowling is an executive producer on the series.
Davis also praised the people working on the show, calling them “a fantastic team” and adding: “The very best of the best working on this series. They’re absolutely fantastic. Love it.”
Harry Potter TV series faces backlash
The debate around continuing to consume Rowling’s work has become a talking point for the new adaptation.
A number of actors linked to the show have faced individual backlash, including Nicholas Hoult who had been signed up to play Gilderoy Lockhart. He was later replaced by Kit Harington, citing scheduling conflicts.
Meanwhile, cast members such as Bel Powley have addressed the backlash. Powley, who will play Petunia Dursley, said she “strongly disagrees” with Rowling’s views. While new Dumbledore star John Lithgow said he takes the issue “very seriously”, and, although “she’s a deeply empathetic person”, he “just disagrees with some things she seems to believe”.
Protests linked to the franchise have also continued. Trans rights campaigners recently disrupted the red carpet for a gala performance of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child in London.
JK Rowling denies being transphobic
Rowling, who has previously said she considers biological sex to be “real” and “immutable”, and has described self-declared gender identity as “quasi-religious” and “anti-science”, has rejected accusations of transphobia.
Her website FAQ states: “JK Rowling is not transphobic”, adding she “clearly states trans people need and deserve protection”.
She says in it: “I stand alongside the brave women and men, gay, straight and trans, who’re standing up for the freedom of speech and thought, and for the rights and safety of some of the most vulnerable in our society: young gay kids, fragile teenagers, and women who’re reliant on and wish to retain their single sex spaces.”
