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“Harry Potter” star Emma Watson said in a podcast interview released Wednesday that she remains fond of series author J.K. Rowling despite their differences on transgender issues.
Appearing on the “On Purpose” podcast, Watson spoke about her rift with the “Harry Potter” creator, saying she strives to maintain affection for Rowling while rejecting her views of the transgender community.
“It’s my deepest wish that I hope people who don’t agree with my opinion will love me, and I hope I can keep loving people who I don’t necessarily share the same opinion with,” she said, referencing Rowling.
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Rowling’s relationship with “Harry Potter” film stars Watson and Daniel Radcliffe has deteriorated since the fantasy author took a public stance against transgender activism online.
Rowling began her public criticism of the transgender movement in 2020 with a viral X (then called Twitter) post that criticized an article mentioning “people who menstruate.” She argued the piece should use the word “women” instead.
At the time, Watson distanced herself from the author’s remarks, writing on X, “I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are.”
Radcliffe, meanwhile, wrote an essay for pro-LGBTQ group The Trevor Project to show support for the transgender community and also apologized “for the pain” Rowling’s comments may have caused, according to The Independent.
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Rowling indicated in 2024 she could not foresee reconciling with the actors over the topic.
When a social media user told Rowling they believed that both Watson and Radcliffe would apologize for criticizing the author’s views, “safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them,” Rowling rejected the idea.
“Not safe, I’m afraid,” Rowling replied. “Celebs who cozied 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 traumatized detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single-sex spaces.”
On the podcast, Watson said she believed that being pro-transgender doesn’t mean she can’t be fond of Rowling.
“I really don’t believe that by having had that experience and holding the love and support and views that I have, mean that I can’t and don’t treasure Jo [Rowling], and the person that I had personal experiences with,” she said. “I will never believe that one negates the other and that my experiences of that person, I don’t get to keep and cherish.”
“I just don’t think these things are either-or,” she added.
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Watson, who played “Harry Potter” character Hermione Granger in all eight Warner Bros. films, mentioned how close she and the cast were throughout those years, noting it was difficult for her to adjust to working on other films afterward.
“It’s so unusual to make a set of films for 12 years,” she said. “We were a community, we really were. So I took that as an expectation into my other workplaces, and I got my a– kicked. I really did.”
Rowling’s reps did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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