Harry Potter star opens up about transgender feud with JK Rowling in new interview

In a new interview, Daniel Radcliffe has reopened a war of words with JK Rowling after the pair’s dramatic fallout over the author’s controversial stance on transgender issues

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has broken his silence on his feud with JK Rowling following the author’s controversial views on transgender issues, describing their fallout as “very sad”.

The pair got into a war of words in 2020 when JK Rowling became outspoken on transgender issues, triggering backlash from several Harry Potter cast members, including Radcliffe.

In an interview with the Atlantic, Radcliffe revealed he hasn’t spoken to her in a long time, and said his beliefs do not have to align with the author’s just because she made him a star.

“It makes me really sad, ultimately,” the 34-year-old said.

“Because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathetic.”

Daniel Radcliffe has opened up on the feud between him and JK Rowling. Picture: Theo Wargo/Getty Images

The row between Radcliffe and Rowling was sparked after the popular British author criticised an article for using the term “people who menstruate” instead of simply “women”.

‘I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?‘,” she wrote.

Radcliffe then came out publicly and showed his support for transgender women when he penned an article for LGBT+ suicide prevention the Trevor Project and said “transgender women are women”.

Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint have opposed JK Rowling’s views. Picture: Supplied

In fresh comments, Radcliffe told the Atlantic: “I’d worked with the Trevor Project for 12 years and it would have seemed like, I don’t know, immense cowardice to me to not say something. I wanted to try and help people that had been negatively affected by the comments. And to say that if those are Jo’s views, then they are not the views of everybody associated with the Potter franchise.”

British writer JK Rowling. Picture: Tolga Akmen / AFP

“I did have a realisation of a connection to Harry Potter and this stuff. A lot of people found some solace in those books and films who were dealing with feeling closeted or rejected by their family or living with a secret,” Radcliffe said.

“I will continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people, and have no further comment than that.”