Rupert Grint Faces Backlash Over Harry Potter Return Amid JK Rowling Controversy

Rupert Grint’s announcement that he’s returning to the world of Harry Potter has received a mixed response among fans.

On Tuesday afternoon, the British actor announced that he’d be reprising his role as Ron Weasley in the Broadway production of the play Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, which is set two decades after the events of the final book in the wizarding novel series.

“Ron Weasley has been a part of me since I was 11 years old and I can’t wait to meet him again in this stage of life,” he said in a statement.

“There is something so full-circle and so special about stepping back into Ron’s shoes now when we are both fathers; it is somehow both very familiar and completely new. And the joy of being back on Broadway, this time in a role that defined so much of my life, is truly exciting.”

He added: “The first time I saw Cursed Child onstage, I was blown away and I can’t wait to set foot back on platform 9¾ and pick up where I left off. I am overjoyed to join this exceptional cast and crew at the Lyric Theatre this winter.”

Rupert will appear in a “limited” run beginning in February 2027, according to a post on the Broadway production’s socials.

Shortly after the announcement, though, many voiced their disappointment at Rupert’s return to the franchise, given the ongoing controversy surrounding its creator, JK Rowling.

In recent years, Rowling has become an increasingly divisive figure thanks to comments about, and actions relating to, the transgender community.

This has included – but is not limited to – repeatedly and intentionally misgendering transgender public figures, and tens of thousands of pounds to the campaign group which raised the initial legal challenge that led to the UK Supreme Court’s ruling last year that the legal definition of a woman should include only those who were assigned female at birth.

After the ruling was made, she posted a celebratory picture on X, depicting herself smoking a cigar on a yacht.

Because of this, Rupert’s involvement in the play has already sparked discourse on social media:

Rupert has previously distanced himself from the author’s views on the trans community.

“I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers,” he said in 2020. “Trans women are women. Trans men are men.”

He added: “We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment.”

Years later, he compared the writer to “an auntie” he doesn’t “necessarily agree with”. 

“But she’s still my auntie,” he added at the time.