Keira Knightley says she was ‘not aware’ of Harry Potter boycott before joining audiobook cast
Keira Knightley will voice Professor Umbridge in the upcoming audiobook series. The actor talked about the discourse surrounding the book and the author.
Actor Keira Knightley has admitted that she is unaware of the heated discourse surrounding the Harry Potter franchise, despite many Hollywood stars having openly spoken out against it. The actor, who has been busy promoting her Netflix release The Woman in Cabin 10, told Deadline that she was not ‘aware’ that many have called for a boycott of the Harry Potter franchise in recent times over J.K.Rowling’s anti-trans statements.
What Keira said
Upon asking about the boycott, Keira said, “I was not aware of that, no. I’m very sorry. 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? And we’ve all got very different opinions. I hope that we can all find respect.”
Keira has been cast as Professor Umbridge in the Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions. The new audiobook series also features a star-studded cast, including Hugh Laurie as Albus Dumbledore, Matthew Macfadyen as Lord Voldemort, Riz Ahmed as Professor Snape, and Michelle Gomez as Professor McGonagall. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is set to be the first title to be released on November 4 on Audible.
What is the controversy?
Meanwhile, the main controversy surrounding JK Rowling relates to her views on the transgender community. She has been accused of being transphobic for her views on gender identity from several fans and actors, including Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe.
Emma's recent comments on the podcast with Jay Shetty reignited the debate. She said that she could disagree with Rowling's views on the trans community while cherishing the memories of working with the Harry Potter writer. JK Rowling went on to criticise Emma as someone who lives a privileged life and is not qualified to speak on sensitive matters like the debate on trans identity.
