Harry Potter actor Ralph Fiennes came to the defense Joan Rowling for the “disgusting” abuse she received for her views on transsexuals issues and single-sex spaces.
The 59-year-old actor, who plays Lord Voldemort in a series of films based on the writer’s books, said he understood where “Ms Rowling was coming from”.
Taking a different stance to the younger members of the Harry Potter cast, Fiennes added that just because Ms Rowling chose to speak her mind as a woman did not make her a “far-right fascist”. Telegraph reports.
Talking to New York Times, he said: “The verbal abuse directed at her is disgusting, it’s terrible. I mean, I can understand a point of view that might be angry about what she says about women.
“But this is not some obscene, far-right fascist. It’s just a woman saying, “I’m a woman and I feel like a woman and I want to be able to say I’m a woman.”
“And I understand where she’s coming from. Even though I’m not a woman.”
K. Rowling and Ralph Fiennes at the Raisa Gorbacheva Foundation Gala at Hampton Court Palace in June 2007.
He added: “JK Rowling wrote these wonderful books about empowerment, about young children finding themselves human.
“It’s about how you become a better, stronger, more morally oriented person.”
Ms Rowling has suffered what she has described as “relentless attacks” after she launched an online condemnation of her 2020 article ‘Menstruating People’.
She wrote, “Menstruating people.” I’m sure there was once a word for these people. Someone help me. Woomben? Wimpund? Wumud?
Her comments drew backlash from a number of other stars, including Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the TV series franchise, Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger, and Eddie Redmayne, who starred in Ms Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts films.
Fiennes, meanwhile, is one of the older members of the cast.
He previously questioned the “hate” online directed at Ms Rowling, with the late Robbie Caltrane saying her critics were “waiting to be hurt”.
Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy, said Ms Rowling’s charity work was “definitely good” and vowed to “not rush to stab her in the back”.
And Miriam Margolis said that “swearing at JK Rowling is inappropriate.”
Earlier this month, trans rights activists trolled Tom Felton after he said Ms Rowling’s work should be celebrated.
The 35-year-old, who played Draco Malfoy in the wizarding series, said that the author’s works bring people and generations together.
The outburst came after Felton said he would not shun or criticize her as others have, instead insisting he was grateful to her for her books earlier this week.
He told the Radio 4 program this morning: “I can’t speak for what other people have said. I’m constantly reminded of the Potter poem, of course when we finished the movies, there was an expectation that the fandom would gradually diminish over the years, while most fans who greet me shout “Potter” or “Draco” at me weren’t even born when the books were made.
The 59-year-old actor, who plays Lord Voldemort in a series of films based on the author’s books, said he understood where Ms Rowling was coming from.
“I’ve been quick to remind myself and others that Potter, for some reason, has united more people around the world and across more generations than probably anything else in the last 20 years, and I’m quick to celebrate that.
“It came from one person, and that’s her, so I’m very grateful.”
It comes as Ms Rowling has been embroiled in a war of words with Billy Bragg over transgender rights and today accused him of using the “Holocaust to attack feminists”.
It started with Ms Rowling saying that “bearded men”, including Bragg and BBC star Graham Norton, were defining what a woman was rather than leaving it up to women themselves.
Bragg, 64, retweeted a video of an interview with Norton at the Cheltenham Literary Festival this week, which the musician said was “very kind” about cancellation culture “and JK Rowling”.
The author then saw the tweet and attacked the singer, saying she was “enjoying the recent wave of bearded men confidently stepping on their soapboxes to define what a woman is and support rape and death threats.”
In a follow-up tweet, the singer responded: “I’m not complaining you got a look JK. I complain that you are conflating my view with support for rape and death threats.
“I have never expressed such sentiments and if you had an iota of self-respect you would apologize for such a blatantly inflammatory accusation.”
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