Harry Potter star Jim Broadbent backs JK Rowling over trans issues and vows to confront critics
Harry Potter star Jim Broadbent supports JK Rowling on trans issues and vows to confront her critics ‘when it comes down to it’
Actor Jim Broadbent supports JK Rowling’s stance on transgender issues and vows to confront her critics “when it comes down to it.”
Broadbent, who played Professor Hildebrand Slughorn in three Harry Potter films, said the abuse directed at the author was “really sad.”
Rowling was heavily criticized by trans rights activists after she argued four years ago that women should not be fired from their jobs for believing biological sex is real.
Broadbent, 73, said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph that he never imagined he was “cancelling culture” when he first started his career.
The actor also rejected the argument that able-bodied actors should not play disabled roles. This is a practice known in the industry as “creppling up.”
Actor Jim Broadbent (pictured) supports JK Rowling’s stance on transgender issues and vows to confront her critics ‘when it comes down to it’
Broadbent, who played Professor Hildebrand Slughorn in three Harry Potter films, said the abuse directed at Rowling (pictured) was “really sad.”
When asked about his thoughts on Rowling becoming a “lightning rod” for her abuse on social media for her stance on single-sex spaces, trans rights and gender, the Oscar winner said, “It’s really sad.
“I love JK Rowling. I haven’t had to deal with it myself, but I’d support her in that, I think, if it came down to it.’
Rowling’s opinions have divided opinion among the actors in the Potter series, with star Daniel Radcliffe saying many trans people were “hurt” by the author’s comments.
Meanwhile, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint noted, “Transgender people are who they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they are not who they say they are.”
Jim Broadbent as Professor Horace Slughorn alongside Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter