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Jason Isaacs defends J.K. Rowling's statement on transgender people

The Lucius Malfoy actor touched on the matter of the Harry Potter creator's controversial views.

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The British author behind Harry Potter has been mired in controversy for years after her statements about transgender people. Something that even stopped her from appearing in any re-recorded interviews for the brilliant Return to Hogwarts, which premiered on New Year's Day on HBO Max. Now Jason Isaacs, who played the evil Lucius Malfoy in the films, has come to her defence and actively refrained from criticising her in a recent interview he gave to The Telegraph.

"There's a bunch of stuff about Jo. You know, I play complicated people, I'm interested in complicated people. I don't want to get drawn into the trans issues, talking about them, because it's such an extraordinary minefield."

He then chose to go a little deeper into the subject but also highlighted all the good the author has done with her fortune by supporting vulnerable children.

"She has her opinions, I have mine. They differ in many different areas. But one of the things that people should know about her too - not as a counter-argument - is that she has poured an enormous amount of her fortune into making the world a much better place, for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children, through her charity Lumos. And that is unequivocally good. Many of us Harry Potter actors have worked for it, and seen on the ground the work that they do.

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."

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have all made statements about Rowling in the past, expressing their support for transgender people. But the actors have also been careful not to throw Rowling under the bus and Grint put it quite well himself when he said "I don't necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but she's still my auntie".

There's no doubt that the subject stirs emotions but given the death threats and other unpleasantness the author has received recently, perhaps it's all gone a bit far. What are your thoughts, do you agree with what Jason Isaacs says?

Jason Isaacs defends J.K. Rowling's statement on transgender people


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