Harry Potter star Evanna Lynch has come forward to show support for the franchise’s controversial creator J.K. Rowling amidst a resurgence in accusations of transphobia in the lead-up and aftermath of the release of Hogwarts Legacy.
The Harry Potter book series consists of seven books telling the titular character's story. Harry Potter is begrudgingly raised by his aunt and uncle after the death of his parents in a car crash. This is revealed to all be a lie as Harry discovers his wizard roots and is whisked off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The franchise grew to include extensive merchandising and a series of similarly successful film adaptations in which Lynch played oddball Ravenclaw student Luna Love good. Most recently an RPG based on the franchise has been released to predictable success surpassing Elden Ring and shattering sales records.
While the Harry Potter game was a success it has been mired in controversy since before release with accusations of antisemitism surrounding the Hogwart Legacy villain choiceleading to a resurgence in conscientious objections to patronizing an IP that Rowling financially benefited from with many citing longstanding accusations of transphobia leveled against the once universally beloved author. In response Lynch who has described herself as a friend and admirer of Rowling discussed the issue with the Telegraph during an interview via The Hollywood Reporter. I just felt that her character has always been to advocate for the most vulnerable members of society Lynch insisted referring to Rowling. The problem is that there’s a disagreement over who’s the most vulnerable. I do wish people would just give her more grace and listen to her.
Contrary to Lynch's amiable and open armed approach some other Harry Potter stars have not been quite so charitable in condemning Rowling's views. Franchise leading man Daniel Radcliffe spoke out strongly against Rowling as did his co-leads Rupert Grint and Emma Watson who has long been rumored to have a feud with Rowling. All three asserted their opposition to the views expressed by Rowling, with Watson going so far as to specify Rowling's removal from the franchise as grounds for any potential reprisal of her role. Criticism from other popular figures has also not been lacking with names like Jon Stewart doubling down on Rowling's alleged antisemitism.
More in line with Lynch's positive view of Rowling are others like actress Helena Bonham Carter who defended Rowling from what she termed hounding in an interview where she insisted that She’s allowed her opinion particularly if she’s suffered abuse. Everybody carries their own history of trauma and forms their opinions from that trauma, and you have to respect where people come from and their pain. A sizable contingent of Harry Potter fans online seems to lean more towards this view of Rowling with some even harrying the other stars for their seemingly harsh criticisms of the author.
While opinion may be divided on basically every facet of the issues surrounding Rowling and the Harry Potter franchise one thing has been made quite clear the teams behind future Harry Potter games and other related media will likely make a concerted effort to distance their projects from J.K. Rowling irrespective of their opinion of the author. Hogwarts Legacy has shaken off any punitive action against its success but other titles may not be so fortunate.
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