Harry Potter star Warwick Davis has shared his take on the ongoing controversy surrounding the franchise’s creator, JK Rowling.
Davis played Hogwarts professor Filius Flitwick in the original movie series, and is the only actor from the films to be reprising their role in the upcoming TV adaptation of the children’s books.
In the lead-up to the series’ release, much has been made in the media of Rowling’s involvement as an executive producer, given what a divisive figure she’s become in recent years due to her ongoing commentary on issues relating to the transgender community.
Speaking to PA on Monday night, Davis claimed that he’s “not really privy to a lot of the backlash” surrounding Rowling.
“I will just say though, I’m a person of difference but it would be nice if everyone could accept people who are different in this world for who they are, not for what they are,” he continued.
Earlier this year, John Lithgow admitted that he’d seriously considered quitting the new Harry Potter series – in which he’s set to star as Hogwarts professor Albus Dumbledore – when he began to face criticism over his involvement, but ultimately decided to remain a part of it.
Nick Frost, the franchise’s new Hagrid, has also insisted that his and Rowling’s views on trans issues “don’t align in any way, shape or form”.
Paapa Essiedu, meanwhile – the successor to the late Alan Rickman in the role of Potions expert Serverus Snape – raised eyebrows in May 2025 when he co-signed a petition in solidarity with the transgender community, despite his own involvement in the new Harry Potter series.
More recently, Bel Powley defended her own involvement in the project, claiming: “I strongly disagree with JK Rowling’s views on gender. I think that the trans community deserve safety and dignity and respect and total acceptance. But I love Harry Potter.”
In August, it was announced that Nicholas Hoult was joining the cast of Harry Potter’s second season, but withdrew just two weeks later, seemingly due to a scheduling conflict.
