Miriam Margolyes Sticks Up For Harry Potter Cast After Recent JK Rowling Drama

Miriam Margolyes has voiced her support for her former Harry Potter co-stars, after they came under fire from JK Rowling for speaking out against her views on the trans community.

During a new interview with The Telegraph, the Bafta winner was asked for her thoughts on the criticism that Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint faced (including from Rowling herself), after they spoke out in solidarity with transgender people in light of the author’s various comments on social media.

Back in 2020, Daniel said he felt “compelled” to speak out in solidarity with the trans community after comments made by Rowling, who has repeatedly faced criticism for her views on issues relating to trans people in the last few years, recently going as far as deliberately misgendering prominent transgender women.

Rowling wrote on X (formerly Twitter) back in May that Daniel and Emma should “save their apologies”, when one of her followers claimed they owed her one, despite neither party ever indicating that they were going to give her one.

Offering her take on the subject, Miriam said: “I think that’s unrealistic. Now they’re grown up and they have opinions. So why can’t they give their opinions? That’s fair to me.”

She added: “They shouldn’t be trammelled because they once were in a film that somebody wrote.”

In recent history, Miriam has made several public calls for solidarity with trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people, which she did again during her Telegraph interview.

“Why are people so nasty?” she questioned. “There are so few trans people. And I just think people should be allowed to get on and be who they are, or be who they want to be, without all this nastiness.”

Miriam has previously expressed sympathy for Rowling as recently as 2022, saying she thought the “vituperation” against the author over her comments about transgender people is “misplaced”.

Prior to this, she told The Times: “[Rowling] has a rather conservative view of transgender people. I don’t think I do.

“I can’t make it out. It’s a matter of personal happiness for people and I think that’s what you should concentrate on.”

Help and support: 

• The Gender Trust supports anyone affected by gender identity | 01527 894 838
• Mermaids offers information, support, friendship and shared experiences for young people with gender identity issues | 0208 1234819
• LGBT Youth Scotland is the largest youth and community-based organisation for LGBT people in Scotland. Text 07786 202 370
• Gires provides information for trans people, their families and professionals who care for them | 01372 801554
• Depend provides support, advice and information for anyone who knows, or is related to, a transsexual person in the UK