Actor Daniel Radcliffe, writer J.K. Rowling, actress Emma Watson and actor Rupert Grint attend the Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 world premiere. Photo / Getty Images
Actor Daniel Radcliffe, writer J.K. Rowling, actress Emma Watson and actor Rupert Grint attend the Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 world premiere. Photo / Getty Images
In a recent interview with The Atlantic, the 34-year-old - who first shot to fame after staring as the titular character in the popular film series - revealed he and Rowling have not spoken in years.
Rowling and Radcliffe’s relationship first became rocky after the author aired her views about transgender issues in June 2020, posting a series of tweets calling out the use of the phrase “people who menstruate” and arguing against the right of trans women to identify as women.
Following backlash for the tweets and repeated accusations of transphobia - accusations the author has faced in the past, Rowling refused to back down and continued to share her opinions.
Rupert Grint, J.K. Rowling, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson attend the world film premiere of Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. Photo / Getty Images
Radcliffe was quick to show support for fans of the franchise who are and who support transgender and the LGBTQ community. He shared a statement with LGBTQ youth charity The Trevor Project, apologising to those who felt Rowling’s comments “tainted” the films and books for them.
“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,” he wrote.
Now, it appears the actor remains firm on his stance and has confirmed he and Rowling remain estranged. During his interview with The Atlantic, Radcliffe said, “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 then he added: “But that doesn’t mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life.”
He continued to say, “It makes me really sad, ultimately,” he 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, J.K. Rowling, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint attend the Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 world premiere. Photo / Getty Images
It comes after Rowling’s most recent headline-making news which followed the recent release of the Cass Report, which revealed children had been let down as a result of a lack of research and evidence on hormones and puberty blockers.
Rowling welcomed the review and when asked by fans X (formerly Twitter) if she would forgive the stars of her books-turned-films, Radcliffe and Emma Watson, if they offered a public apology for their support of the LGBTQ and transgender community, she said no.
“Not safe, I’m afraid. 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.”
In response to her comments, Radcliffe told The Atlantic: “I will continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people and have no further comment than that.”
