Emma Watson Opens Up About Her Complicated Rift with J.K. Rowling

Emma Watson is getting candid about her complicated rift with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. Watson, who skyrocketed to fame after starring as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movie franchise from 2001 to 2011, previously spoke out about her support of trans rights after Rowling began expressing anti-trans rhetoric on social media in 2019. This drew ire from trans activists and many Harry Potter fans alike.

During her appearance on Wednesday’s episode of *On Purpose With Jay Shetty*, Shetty asked Watson about her relationship with Rowling, which remains strained. The once-celebrated laureate of children’s literature implied last year that she does not plan to forgive Watson and her Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe for publicly opposing her comments. Rowling also noted that the two should save their apologies after speaking out against her anti-trans remarks.

“I really don’t believe that by having had that experience and holding the love and support and views that I have, means that I can’t and don’t treasure Jo and the person that I had personal experiences with,” Watson said. “I will never believe that one negates the other and that my experience of that person, I don’t get to keep and cherish.”

She continued, “I think it’s my deepest wish that I hope people who don’t agree with my opinion will love me, and I hope I can keep loving people who I don’t necessarily share the same opinion with.”

Following Rowling’s 2020 essay defending her anti-trans beliefs, both Watson and Radcliffe swiftly voiced their support for the transgender community.

“Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are,” Watson wrote in a June 2020 X (formerly Twitter) post. In a separate follow-up post, she added, “I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are.”

Similarly, Radcliffe wrote an essay on the website of The Trevor Project, an organization that supports at-risk LGBTQ youth. “Transgender women are women,” he wrote. “Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I.”

Rowling responded to the accusations that she hates trans people in an X post, writing in June 2020, “The idea that women like me, who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women — i.e., to male violence — hate trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences is nonsense.”

Watson told Shetty that what upsets her the most is that a genuine conversation was never made possible between her and Rowling. When asked if she would be open to speaking with Rowling, Watson replied, “Yeah, and I always will. I believe in that. I believe in that completely.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Watson declared her belief that no one is disposable. She added, “And everyone, as far as possible, whatever the conversation is, should and can be treated with, at the very least, dignity and respect.”
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