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In an unexpected revelation, Andrew Garfield is a newbie Harry Potter movie fan – but it’s not something he’s keen to praise without a dig at the woman behind it.
The Spider-Man actor, 42, confessed in a new interview that he only recently watched the fantasy franchise, which began with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) and culminated with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011).
Playing the titular character from the age of 11, of course, propelled Daniel Radcliffe to unprecedented stardom, alongside his co-stars Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, all of whom have gone on to become A-list movie stars.
But as far as Andrew is concerned, he was blissfully unaware of how ‘good’ the child actor actually was as the young wizard until much later than the rest of us.
Chatting to Hits Radio, he began: ‘I hadn’t watched the Harry Potters until recently.
‘He’s really good in those Harry Potter movies. Those Harry Potter movies are really good.’
Andrew proceeded to throw some not-so-subtle shade at author JK Rowling, for whom the original Harry Potter novels became the best-selling book series in history.
‘I know it’s controversial, and we shouldn’t be putting money in the pocket of inhumane legislation right now through she that shall remain nameless…
‘But the soul and the spirit of a lot of the essence of the themes of those films… and all the artisans and the craftspeople…
‘I’m working with a wonderful makeup artist, Claire, right now, who was working in the creature workshop, and I’m just like, “Ah, man. We can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. There are so many beautiful artists that worked on those films”.’
‘Anyway,’ he concluded. ‘I have a newfound appreciation for all of the artists.’
Andrew’s comments are a nod to the controversy that has engulfed Rowling for several years, given that she has repeatedly and publicly made anti-transgender remarks and been branded a Terf (trans-exclusionary radical feminist).
The 60-year-old writer’s divisive statements have included saying trans women shouldn’t be allowed into female-only spaces and hitting out at ‘celebs’ whom she said ‘used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors’, although she denies being transphobic.
She has also donated money to For Women Scotland, which opposes individuals being able to self-declare their own sex.
Consequently, Rowling, who says she has received death threats for expressing her views, has been condemned by LGBTQ+ charities such as Stonewall and Mermaids, as well as several Harry Potter stars, notably the three leads.
In stark contrast, Andrew has long been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and protections.
He told BBC’s Newsbeat in 2017: ‘My only longing is to serve and to keep the world spinning forward for the LGBTQ community in whatever way I’m meant to. It’s important to a community that I feel so welcomed by.’
Andrew’s comments have been applauded so far, with fans praising him as ‘a good bean’ and for his eloquence when it comes to discussing Potter.
‘I wish we had more actors who were as outspoken as he is. Especially intelligent in his way of critiquing,’ commented one poster on Reddit, while another agreed with the actor’s main point, adding: ‘I feel bad for the working pros who worked on those films, cause they did tons of good work.’
Harry Potter has been the talk of the internet this week, following the release of the first trailer to promote its HBO TV adaptation.
Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, and Arabella Stanton play Harry, Ron, and Hermione, respectively, having secured the main parts from a pool of over 32,000 auditionees. Other cast members include John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Many fans were thrilled at the first official glimpse of the show, which releases on HBO Max this Christmas, but others accused it of being a ‘shot for shot’ remake and ‘the literal same’ as the movies.
There has also been backlash to some of the casting, namely Essiedu’s, with many subjecting him to racist abuse over the belief a black man should not play the fictional wizard Snape, who was previously played by the late Alan Rickman. Essiedu even recently revealed he’d been told to ‘quit or I’ll murder you’ via death threats he’s been sent.
Many fans of the original films have also said they are planning on boycotting the new series as an act of protest against creator Rowling’s views, with many slamming the actors who have signed up.
Harry Potter is scheduled to premiere on HBO Max this Christmas.
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