Fans Turn on Keira Knightley Over Her Comments About J.K. Rowling
Keira Knightley is getting some heat from fans after speaking about her new role in a Harry Potter project and her thoughts on J.K. Rowling.
The actress, known for movies like Pride & Prejudice, recently joined the cast of Harry Potter: The Full Cast Audio Editions, a new audiobook series from Pottermore Publishing and Audible.
She will be voicing Professor Umbridge, one of the most disliked characters in the Harry Potter universe.
In an interview with Decider, shared on Instagram on October 15, Knightley said she didn’t know about the ongoing boycotts against J.K. Rowling when she joined the project. “I’m very sorry,” she said with a laugh.
“I think we’re all living in a period of time right now — we’re all gonna have to figure out how to live together, aren’t we? And we’ve all got very different opinions. So I hope that we can all find respect.”
Rowling has faced heavy criticism over the years for her comments about transgender people and her support of an anti-trans ruling in the U.K. Many fans have chosen to boycott Harry Potter-related work in protest.
After Knightley’s interview came out, social media users reacted strongly. One person commented, “Jeez that response is horrific.” Another added, “So her agent or friends and family never discussed this with her?” Others called her answer tone-deaf, saying, “This is a terrible way to react: the laugh, the ‘be respectful’ — this is absolutely not how she should reply.”
Some fans didn’t believe Knightley’s claim that she didn’t know about the boycott. One comment read, “Or she could just be honest and say with her full chest ‘yes I am aware but I am willing to do the work anyway.’ Absolutely no one believes she didn’t know.”
Despite the backlash, Knightley is joining a major cast for the new audiobook series. The first three books will feature Frankie Treadaway as Harry Potter, Max Lester as Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, who is also set to play Hermione in the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series. Later books will have Jaxon Knopf as Harry, Rhys Mulligan as Ron, and Nina Barker-Francis as Hermione.
The lineup also includes Kit Harington as Professor Lockhart, Iwan Rheon as Professor Lupin, James McAvoy as Mad-Eye Moody, Ruth Wilson as Bellatrix Lestrange, Ambika Mod as Tonks, Simon Pegg as Arthur Weasley, Gemma Whelan as Professor Sprout, Matt Berry as Sir Cadogan, and Leo Woodall as Bill Weasley.
Woodall said, “In creating Bill Weasley’s adventures through voice, it is genuinely special to be part of bringing this world to life in a new way for listeners. From the stellar cast to the immersive sound world that Pottermore and Audible have put together, listeners everywhere will be given a new way to be transported directly into these celebrated stories.”
While fans are excited about the new project, Knightley’s comments have definitely sparked a lot of discussion, and not all of it is kind.
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