J.K. Rowling.Photo: Ben Pruchnie/Getty
J.K. Rowlingis addressing her absence from theHarry Potterreunion.
During her appearance on Virgin Radio Saturday, the author explained why she wasn’t featured in theHarry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, which debuted Jan. 1 on HBO Max.
“I was asked to be on that, and I decided I didn’t want to do it,” she told the host, Graham Norton, via a clip uploaded toYouTube. “I thought it was about the films more than the books, quite rightly. That was what the anniversary was about.”
“No one said don’t [do it]…I was asked to do it and I decided not to,” she added.
J.K. Rowling.Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
Elsewhere in the conversation, Rowling, 57, also discussed her relationship with social media. Earlier this month, she received a death threat after expressing her concern aboutSalman Rushdie’s stabbing incident.
“I try to behave online as I would like others to behave… I’ve never threatened anyone,” she told Graham during the interview. “I certainly wouldn’t want anyone to go to their houses or anything like that.”
“Social media can be a lot of fun, and I do like the pub argument aspect of it. That can be a fun thing to do…,” she continued. “I sort of have a love-hate relationship with it now. I can happily go for a few days without getting into a [virtual] pub brawl.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Rowling came under fire in June 2020 when sheappeared to support anti-transgender sentimentsin a series of tweets. Though she denied that her views on feminism are transphobic, shedoubled down on her controversial standpointsin a lengthy essay shared on her website days later.
Harry PotterstarsDaniel Radcliffe,Emma WatsonandRupert Grinteach spoke out against Rowling’s much-criticized remarksregarding the transgender community.
Radcliffe, 33,wrotein anessayforThe Trevor Projectthat “transgender women are women.”
“According to The Trevor Project, 78 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being the subject of discrimination due to their gender identity,” he added. “It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm.”
Responding to backlashin June 2020, Rowling wrote that she refuses to “bow down to a movement that I believe is doing demonstrable harm in seeking to erode ‘woman’ as a political and biological class and offering cover to predators like few before it.”
ActorRalph Fiennes, who played Lord Voldemort in the Potter franchise, told the U.K.‘sThe Telegraphback in March 2021 that he personallyfeels the “level of hatred” aimed at Rowlingis uncalled for.
“I can’t understand the vitriol directed at her. I can understand the heat of an argument, but I find this age of accusation and the need to condemn irrational,” said Fiennes at the time. “I find the level of hatred that people express about views that differ from theirs, and the violence of language towards others, disturbing.”
source: people.com
