Trans advocates are criticizing actor Rupert Grint after it was announced that he will reprise his role as Ron Weasley in a 17-week Broadway run of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Grint, who played Ron in all eight original Harry Potter films, previously distanced himself from franchise creator J.K. Rowling as she became increasingly outspoken in her opposition to transgender rights.
“I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers,” Grint said in a 2020 statement. “Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgement.”
The following year, Grint told Esquire that he felt remaining silent about Rowling’s comments would have sent its own message.
“Sometimes, silence is even louder,” he says, explaining that while he remains “hugely grateful” to Rowling, he disagrees with her views on transgender people.
His decision to return to the Harry Potter franchise has therefore disappointed some LGBTQ+ advocates, who argue that participating in the production financially benefits a franchise closely tied to Rowling.
Rowling has used some of her personal wealth to support legal efforts and organizations opposing policies and protections for transgender people, particularly trans women, in the United Kingdom.
That connection has led critics to question whether Grint’s Broadway appearance is compatible with his previous statements of support for the trans community.
Them writer Mathew Rodriguez criticized the decision, writing that Grint had “certainly figured out how to use the invisibility cloak on his trans allyship.”
Others expressed similar frustration on social media, pointing to the contrast between Grint’s previous public support for transgender people and his decision to once again participate in one of Rowling’s most profitable properties.
Grint is not the only original Harry Potter star who has publicly disagreed with Rowling’s views. Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have also spoken in support of transgender people in the years since Rowling began making anti-trans statements.
The controversy surrounding Grint’s return reflects a larger debate that has followed the Harry Potter franchise: whether actors, fans and other creatives can continue participating in the Wizarding World while separating their involvement from Rowling and the causes she financially supports.
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