Daniel Radcliffe, who shot to fame in the 'Harry Potter' franchise, has stated that he felt the need to speak out against J.K. Rowling's comments about transgender people.
The entire franchise has been embroiled in a storm stemming from the author's comments made on Twitter dating back to 2020.
The 33-year-old spoke out against Rowling in an open letter penned in 2020 for The Trevor Project, a non-profit focused on saving the lives of young people within the LGBTQ+ community.
Radcliffe reiterated his support for the trans community this week.
"The reason I was felt very, very much as though I needed to say something when I did was because, particularly since finishing 'Potter', I’ve met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that," he told IndieWire. "And so seeing them hurt on that day, I wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important."
Radcliffe continued by saying, "it was really important as I’ve worked with the Trevor Project for more than 10 years. And so I don’t think I would’ve been able to look myself in the mirror had I not said anything. But it’s not mine to guess what’s going on in someone else’s head."
The cast of 'Harry Potter' reunited for a 20 year anniversary special, which aired on HBO earlier this year. Although older footage of Rowling was used, the author was not involved in the reunion.
Radcliffe stars in the upcoming comedy biopic 'WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story', where he plays the lead role as the comedic musician who rose to fame in the 80's and 90's.
'WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story' arrives on the Roku Channel on November 4.
