Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has long been in the spotlight after speaking out about transgender people and what it means to be a woman, angering virtually the entire internet with her comments. This has led to Rowling enduring verbal attacks, which has prompted a reaction from Voldemort himself. Or yes, we are of course talking about Ralph Fiennes who has come to the author's defence in an interview with The New York Times Magazine, calling the verbal abuse "disgusting" and "appalling":
"I mean, I can understand a viewpoint that might be angry at what she says about women. But [she's] not some obscene, über-right-wing fascist. It's just a woman saying, 'I'm a woman and I feel I'm a woman and I want to be able to say that I'm a woman.' And I understand where she's coming from. Even though I'm not a woman."
"J.K. Rowling has written these great books about empowerment, about young children finding themselves as human beings. It's about how you become a better, stronger, more morally centered human being."
There has been speculation that Rowling's absence during the HBO Max special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts may have had something to do with the controversy, but Rowling has since pointed out that it has more to do with the fact that it was the films that were celebrated in the programme rather than the books themselves. Does Voldemort have a point, do you think?
Thanks, The Hollywood Reporter.