Succession star Brian Cox has defended Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling amid ongoing debate surrounding her transgender views, revealing that he thinks the author has been unfairly treated.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the Scottish actor, who is best known for playing patriarch Logan Roy on HBO’s Succession, recently appeared on the BBC talk program Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg and discussed how proud he was that Scotland has voted to approve legislation allowing transgender people to change their legal gender without requiring any medical diagnosis. Cox was then asked to share his thoughts on Rowling, who publicly backed opposition to the Scottish legislation. "I don’t like the way she’s been treated, actually," Cox said. "I think she’s entitled to her opinion; she’s entitled to say what she feels. As a woman, she’s very much entitled to say what she feels about her own body, and there’s nobody better to say that, as a woman."
The actor continued, "So, I do feel that people have been a bit high-and-mighty about their own attitude towards J.K. Rowling, quite frankly." This is not the first time Cox has spoken out in support of Rowling. The actor previously referred to the backlash against Rowling as "deeply unjust" in May 2022. The author, who was once widely beloved for creating the Wizarding World franchise, has become a controversial figure online in recent years after expressing comments that have been criticized as transphobic. These views have upset a portion of her fan base, with many fans publicly stating on social media that they will not be supporting future Harry Potter projects because of the author's comments.
Harry Potter Actors Have Differing Views on the Rowling Backlash
Since Rowling first voiced her opinions on issues related to gender, trans people and biological sex, actors who starred in Warner Bros.' massively-successful Harry Potter film franchise have been repeatedly asked to comment on the author's views, with some like Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes choosing to defend the author while others like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson speaking out against Rowling and her beliefs.
However, some Harry Potter actors have chosen to avoid commenting on the matter, with Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the films, stating that he will neither defend nor oppose the best-selling author until he has had a chance to sit down and talk with her about her views. "I don't want to get drawn into the trans issues, talking about them, because it's such an extraordinary minefield," Isaacs said in January 2022. "So for all that she has said some very controversial things, I was not going to be jumping to stab her in the front -- or back -- without a conversation with her, which I've not managed to have yet."
All eight Harry Potter films are currently available to stream on Peacock.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter