Actress Keira Knightley refused to denounce author J.K. Rowling for her views on transgender ideology, emphasizing that people should learn to respect each other’s views.
Speaking with Decider about her joining the voice cast of Audible’s Harry Potter: The Full Cast Audio Editions as Professor Umbridge, Knightley said she was “not aware” that some fans had boycotted the franchise over the author’s outspoken views.
“You know, I think we’re all living in a period of time right now where we’re all going to have to figure out how to live together, aren’t we?” Knightley said. “And we’ve all got very different opinions. I hope that we can all find respect.”
Rowling became a lightning rod for online hate campaigns in 2020 when she denounced transgender ideology, prompting accusations of transphobia. In response, Harry Potter movie stars Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint distanced themselves from her with statements in support of transgender ideology. In September, Watson attempted to walk back her comments by saying “I hope I can keep loving people who I don’t necessarily share the same opinion with.”
“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 and the person that I had personal experiences with,” Watson said. “I will never believe that one negates the other and that my experience of that person, I don’t get to keep and cherish. To come back to our earlier thing — I just don’t think these things are either or. I think 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.”
Rowling then called Watson “ignorant” in a post on X.
“I’m not owed eternal agreement from any actor who once played a character I created. The idea is as ludicrous as me checking with the boss I had when I was 21 for what opinions I should hold these days,” she said. “Emma Watson and her co-stars have every right to embrace gender identity ideology. Such beliefs are legally protected, and I wouldn’t want to see any of them threatened with loss of work, or violence, or death, because of them.”
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
Read the full article here