It’s probably safe to say that any friendship between Daniel Radcliffe and J.K. Rowling is effectively over.
Daniel Radcliffe and the famous writer have publicly taken shots at each other on the subject of trans rights, and while he’s saddened by how things turned out, the actor regrets nothing and he’s glad he stood up for what he believes in.
Recently, J.K. Rowling expressed she would never forgive him or Emma Watson for not standing up for her when she got slammed for her anti-trans comments, but the Harry Potter actor stated that, while he valued their friendship, he wouldn’t compromise his morals for her.
Daniel Radcliffe and J.K. Rowling have been at odds ever since the Harry Potter writer began being extremely vocal about her anti-trans views. The actor has been an active supporter of the trans and LGBTQ+ community in general for years and was incredibly disappointed by J.K. Rowling’s stances on the subject. The author, for her part, was hurt when neither Daniel nor Emma Watson supported her when she received backlash for her comments.
Recently, on social media, a user told her that Emma and Daniel owed her “a very public apology… safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them”, to which the writer replied, “Not safe, I’m afraid.” According to J.K. Rowling, the actors’ actions were harmful to the feminist movement.
“Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single-sex spaces,” she stated.
Daniel Radcliffe was disappointed in the author’s words, but he won’t compromise his morals, even though he still appreciates her personally.
“It makes me really sad, ultimately, 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 empathic,” he said. “Jo, obviously Harry Potter would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person. But that doesn’t mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life,” he continued.
In 2020, in response to J.K. Rowling’s statements about gender identity, Daniel Radcliffe immediately responded through his own statement on The Trevor Project’s website. The Trevor Project is a non-profit organization that supports LGBTQ+ youth, and the Harry Potter star has worked with them for many years, so it was the perfect place for him to make his views clear.
“While Jo is unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken, as someone who has been honored to work with and continues to contribute to The Trevor Project for the last decade, and just as a human being, I feel compelled to say something at this moment,” he wrote at the time.
“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.”
Finally, Daniel Radcliffe apologized to Harry Potter fans for J.K. Rowling’s comments, which probably angered the writer.
“To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you.”