Fantastic Beasts Star Eddie Redmayne Supports Harry Potter Creator J.K. Rowling Following Controversial Remarks

Even though Eddie Redmayne doesn’t agree with JK Rowling’s numerous transphobic comments of late, the Fantastic Beasts star still says he supports the Harry Potter creator. In a recent chat with the Daily Mail, Redmayne mentioned he had “many trans friends and colleagues” who have “their human rights challenged around the world” while “facing discriination on a daily basis.”

Then, the Oscar-winning actor shifted gears and condemned the “vitriol” Rowling has received for her comments on Twitter, calling the response to Rowling “absolutely disgusting.” The star says the response to Rowling’s critical comments led him to write a letter to the writer, offering his support during this time.

Virtually the entire Harry Potter cast — from Daniel Radcliffe to Emma Watson and Rupert Grint — has since come forward denouncing the comments made by Rowling earlier this year. Warner Brothers — the studio where the rights to the Harry Potter franchise currently reside — even released a statement saying it strongly disagrees with the writer.

“The events in the last several weeks have firmed our resolve as a company to confront difficult societal issues,” Warner Bros. said in a statement to Variety. “Warner Bros.’ position on inclusiveness is well established, and fostering a diverse and inclusive culture has never been more important to our company and to our audiences around the world. We deeply value the work of our storytellers who give so much of themselves in sharing their creations with us all. We recognize our responsibility to foster empathy and advocate understanding of all communities and all people, particularly those we work with and those we reach through our content.”

We’ve yet to see what impact, if any, Rowling’s comments have had on her role with the Harry Potter franchise. Though she served as a consultant on the original series, she’s credited with writing the screeplay to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and its sequel The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Filming on the third of five movies just started earlier this month after having been postponed due to worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

The latest film in the Harry Potter franchise — Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald — is now streaming on HBO Max.

Cover photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic