Tom Felton divided fans Sunday by admitting he hasn’t given much thought to J.K. Rowling’s politics as he prepares to return to the world of “Harry Potter.”
The British actor, best known for his portrayal of Draco Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” film franchise, will reprise his iconic role this fall in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on Broadway. He’ll be the first of the “Harry Potter” film stars to appear in the stage production, which takes place 19 years after the final book in Rowling’s series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” and follows Malfoy and his Hogwarts classmates ― Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley ― as adults.
Speaking to Variety while attending the 2025 Tony Awards on Sunday, Felton said he wasn’t impacted by Rowling’s controversial views, which include a yearslong crusade against the transgender community and repeated use of transphobic rhetoric.
“I’m not really that attuned to it,” he told the outlet. “The only thing I always remind myself is that I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world — here I am in New York — and I have not seen anything bring the world together more than ‘Potter.’ And she’s responsible for that, so I’m incredibly grateful.”
Felton’s comments quickly drew a heated response online.
“What a privileged straight white man take,” one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Added another: “he’s able to opt out of it because it doesn’t affect him. While HP brought many together, JK is using her platform to literally demonize and harm people but yep! Woo, he’s grateful.”
As many pointed out, Felton’s comments stand in stark contrast to several of his “Harry Potter” film co-stars, including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, who have both vocally supported the trans community.
Last year, Radcliffe acknowledged he owed much of his Hollywood career to “Harry Potter” while also denouncing Rowling’s transphobic stance.
“‘Harry Potter’ would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person,” he told The Atlantic at the time. “But that doesn’t mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life.”
Others, like actors Nicola Coughlan and Pedro Pascal, have also criticized Rowling’s views.
“Keep your new Harry Potter lads,” Coughlan wrote on her Instagram stories in reference to HBO’s upcoming revival of the series, which Rowling is deeply involved with. The “Bridgerton” actor added that she “wouldn’t touch [the series] with a ten-foot pole.”
In April, Pascal pledged solidarity with transgender people while responding to activist Tariq Ra’ouf’s criticisms of Rowling on social media.
“Awful disgusting SHIT is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior,” wrote Pascal, whose sister, Lux, is trans.
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