logo
Tom Felton admits he's 'not attuned' to JK Rowling controversy

Tom Felton admits he's 'not attuned' to JK Rowling controversy

Metro9 hours ago

Tom Felton has continued to support JK Rowling, saying he's 'not attuned' to the controversy surrounding her and her views on trans women.
His comments come days after the Harry Potter actor confirmed he will reprise his role as Draco Malfoy in the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
This news, met with mixed reactions from an already polarised fanbase, came after speculation that he could play Lucius in the TV reboot.
While attending the 2025 Tony Awards, the 37-year-old actor was asked if the controversy surrounding Rowling had impacted his decision to return to the franchise.
The Potter author, 59, has lost a huge number of fans and been involved in X spats with several celebrities over her beliefs and backing of controversial campaigns. She denies being transphobic.
However, Felton told Variety he was simply 'not really that attuned to it' and praised Rowling for 'bringing the world together'.
Tom Felton says the controversy around J.K. Rowling's political views doesn't impact him: "I'm not really that attuned to it…I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter. She's responsible for that, so I'm incredibly grateful." #TonyAwards pic.twitter.com/T7KSMNbFds — Variety (@Variety) June 8, 2025
He said: 'I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter. She's responsible for that, so I'm incredibly grateful.'
The clip, posted on X, quickly garnered a large amount of backlash for an 'ignorant and disrespectful' response.
TrevorBriggs shared: 'He's an actor, he needs a job, got it. But 'not really attuned to it' is an ignorant and disrespectful response. It's what you say when you know your boss is a piece of s**t, but don't want to rock the boat.'
'Ignorance isn't the slay you think it is, queen 💁🏼‍♀️,' added omgplasticmenus as kennyroysgrammy said: 'This is actually the worst answer you can come up with I'm almost impressed.'
A slew of comments from various fans called him a 'loser' and insisted that he needs to 'move on' from the franchise.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Others said the response revealed the 'privileged' position Felton was in to not have to think about the controversy surrounding Rowling.
This isn't the first time the Draco Malfoy actor has shared his thoughts on the matter, though, as in a previous interview with The Times, Felton said he 'won't talk specifics'.
He continued: 'I couldn't speak for what others have said or what she said, to be completely honest, but I'm often reminded, attending Comic-Cons in particular, that no one has single-handedly done more for bringing joy to so many different generations and walks of life.
'I'm constantly reminded of her positive work in that field and as a person. I've only had a handful of meetings with her but she has always been lovely. So I'm very grateful for that.
'I'm pro. I'm pro-choice. I'm pro-life. I'm pro-discussion. I'm pro-love. I don't tend to pick sides.'
Some Harry Potter stars in the franchise have taken similar stances to Felton, including his on-screen dad Jason Isaacs.
The White Lotus actor told The Telegraph in 2022 that he didn't 'want to get drawn into the trans issues' as it is 'such an extraordinary minefield'.
He added: 'One of the things that people should know about her too — not as a counter-argument — is that she has poured an enormous amount of her fortune into making the world a much better place, for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children through her charity Lumos.
'And that is unequivocally good. Many of us Harry Potter actors have worked for it, and seen on the ground the work that they do.
'So for all that she has said some very controversial things, I was not going to be jumping to stab her in the front — or back — without a conversation with her, which I've not managed to have yet.'
Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and other cast members have also shared their thoughts over the years, prompting strong reactions from fans either way.
Meanwhile, leading man Daniel Radcliffe — who won a Tony Award for Merrily We Roll Along last year — said he was 'really sad' about the rupture between the author and himself. More Trending
He has long been a vocal ally of the LGBTQ+ community and previously shared a statement via The Trevor Project affirming his views on transphobia.
'Transgender women are women,' Radcliffe 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.'
Metro has reached out to Tom Felton's team for comment.
Got a story?
If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
MORE: Former Harry Potter child star's dad issues warning after fans admit 'concerns'
MORE: Nick Frost makes strong vow about Harry Potter TV series after backlash
MORE: British acting legend new frontrunner to play Voldemort after Harry Potter casting updates

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nicole Scherzinger and Sarah Snook win top prizes at Tony Awards
Nicole Scherzinger and Sarah Snook win top prizes at Tony Awards

BBC News

time44 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Nicole Scherzinger and Sarah Snook win top prizes at Tony Awards

Succession star Sarah Snook and former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger were among the big winners at Sunday's Tony was named best actress in a musical for her role in Sunset Boulevard, Jamie Lloyd's minimalist reboot of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical. In an emotional acceptance speech, Scherzinger reflected on her recent Broadway success, which came two decades after shooting to fame with the Pussycat Dolls. "Growing up, I always felt like I didn't belong, but you all have made me feel like I belong and I have come home, at last," she said. "If there's anyone out there who feels like they don't belong or your time hasn't come, don't give up." "Just keep on giving and giving because the world needs your love and your light now more than ever. This is a testament that love always wins."The singer and former X Factor judge won the same prize at the UK equivalent of the Tonys, the Olivier Awards, for her performance in the show's original West End also performed As If We Never Said Goodbye during the ceremony, and was introduced by Glenn Close, who played Desmond in Sunset Boulevard when it played on Broadway in Tony Awards, hosted by Wicked star Cynthia Erivo at Radio City Music Hall in New York, celebrate the best in US theatre, and particularly Broadway. Snook won best leading actress in a play, for performing all 26 roles in a one-woman stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian her acceptance speech, the actress said: "This means so much for a little Australian girl to be here on Broadway."[The Picture of Dorian Gray] is billed as a one-person show, and I don't feel alone any night that I do this show. There are so many people on stage making it work and behind the stage making it work."Other winners included Maybe Happy Ending, which took home best musical, while Purpose was named best Boulevard also won best musical revival, while Eureka Day won best revival of a play. Tony Awards: The main winners Best musicalWINNER: Maybe Happy EndingBuena Vista Social ClubDead OutlawDeath Becomes HerOperation Mincemeat: A New MusicalBest playWINNER: PurposeEnglishThe Hills of CaliforniaJohn Proctor is the VillainOh, Mary!Best revival of a playWINNER: Eureka DayRomeo + JulietOur TownYellow FaceBest revival of a musicalWINNER: Sunset BoulevardFloyd CollinsGypsyPirates! The Penzance MusicalBest actress in a musicalWINNER: Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset BoulevardMegan Hilty, Death Becomes HerAudra McDonald, GypsyJasmine Amy Rogers, BOOP! The MusicalJennifer Simard, Death Becomes HerBest actor in a musicalWINNER: Darren Criss, Maybe Happy EndingAndrew Durand, Dead OutlawTom Francis, Sunset BoulevardJonathan Groff, Just in TimeJames Monroe Iglehart, A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong MusicalJeremy Jordan, Floyd CollinsBest actress in a playWINNER: Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian GrayLaura Donnelly, The Hills of CaliforniaMia Farrow, The RoommateLaTanya Richardson Jackson, PurposeSadie Sink, John Proctor is the VillainBest actor in a playWINNER: Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!George Clooney, Good Night, and Good LuckJon Michael Hill, PurposeDaniel Dae Kim, Yellow FaceHarry Lennix, PurposeLouis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First ShadowBest direction of a musicalWINNER: Michael Arden, Maybe Happy EndingSaheem Ali, Buena Vista Social ClubDavid Cromer, Dead OutlawChristopher Gattelli, Death Becomes HerJamie Lloyd, Sunset BoulevardBest direction of a playKnud Adams, EnglishSam Mendes, The Hills of CaliforniaSam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary!Danya Taymor, John Proctor is the VillainKip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray Further updates to this story to follow.

Tony Awards laud android rom-com Maybe Happy Ending and history-making Purpose
Tony Awards laud android rom-com Maybe Happy Ending and history-making Purpose

North Wales Chronicle

timean hour ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

Tony Awards laud android rom-com Maybe Happy Ending and history-making Purpose

Its star, Darren Criss, had won the leading actor in a musical award just minutes before. He also hosted the Tonys pre-show. The best new play trophy at Sunday's Tony Awards went to Purpose, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' drawing-room drama about an accomplished black family exposing hypocrisy and pressures during a snowed-in gathering. It caps a remarkable year for Jacobs-Jenkins, who in addition to winning back-to-back Tonys — his Appropriate won best play revival in 2024 — earned the Pulitzer Prize for Purpose. Jacobs-Jenkins becomes the first black playwright to win for best new play since August Wilson took home the trophy in 1987 for Fences. He urged Tony viewers to support regional theatres. Purpose was nurtured in Chicago. Kara Young — the first black female actor to be nominated for a Tony Award in four consecutive years — became the first black person to win two Tonys consecutively, with the featured actress in a play trophy for her work in Purpose. Young thanked her parents, Jacobs-Jenkins, her cast and director Phylicia Rashad. 'Theatre is a sacred space that we have to honour and treasure, and it makes us united,' she said. Sunset Blvd., with Nicole Scherzinger starring as a fallen screen idol desperate to reclaim her fame, won best musical revival, handing composer Andrew Lloyd Webber his first competitive Tony since 1995, when the original show won. The current version is a stripped-down, minimalist production. Sarah Snook took home the trophy for leading actress in a play for her tireless work in The Picture of Dorian Gray, where she plays all 26 roles. 'I don't feel alone any night that I do this show,' Snook said, dismissing the idea of her play as a one-woman show. 'There are so many people onstage making it work and behind the stage making it work.' Downtown cabaret star Cole Escola took home the best actor in a play trophy for playing a deranged, repressed and over-the-top ahistorical version of Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh Mary!, beating such Hollywood stars as George Clooney and Daniel Dae Kim. Sam Pinkleton won best director for Oh, Mary! and thanked Escola, saying he taught him: 'Do what you love, not what you think people want to see.' Francis Jue won best actor in a featured role in a play for his work in a revival of Yellow Face. He said he was gifted his tuxedo from another Asian actor who wanted him to wear it to the Tonys. 'I'm only here because of the encouragement and inspiration of generations of wonderful, deserving Asian artists who came before me,' he said. 'To those who don't feel seen,' he added. 'I see you.' Jak Malone won best actor in a featured role in a musical for the British import Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, playing a woman every performance. He hoped his win could be a powerful advocacy for trans rights. Eureka Day, Jonathan Spector's social satire about well-meaning liberals debating a school's vaccine policy, won the best play revival trophy. It made its off-Broadway debut in 2019. The original cast of Hamilton, including creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, did a victory lap all dressed in black to mark the show's 10th anniversary on Broadway, with a medley including My Shot, The Schuyler Sisters, History Has Its Eyes on You and The Room Where It Happens. First-time host Cynthia Erivo kicked off the show from her dressing room in Radio City Music Hall, unsure of her opening number as the stage manager urged her to get to the stage. As she made her way through the backstage warren, she ran into various people offering advice until she reached Oprah Winfrey, who advised: 'The only thing you need to do is just be yourself.' Erivo then appeared at the stage in a red, spangly gown with white accents, hip cocked, as she launched into the slow-burning original song Sometimes All You Need Is a Song, written by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Initially alone with just a pianist, Erivo's soaring voice was soon joined by dozens of members of the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir, all dressed in white, making her look like a powerful strawberry in a bowl of whipped cream. In her opening comments, she singled out first-time nominees Louis McCartney, Sadie Sink, Escola and 'an up-and-comer that I think you're going to really be hearing quite a bit about — George Clooney'. She noted that the 2024-2025 season took in 1.9 billion dollars (£1.46 billion), making it the highest-grossing season ever and signalling that Broadway has finally emerged from the Covid-19 blues. 'Broadway is officially back,' Erivo said. 'Provided we don't run out of cast members from Succession,' a nod to appearances this season by former co-stars Snook and Kieran Culkin and last season by Jeremy Strong. She and Sara Bareilles duetted for a moving in memoriam section, singing The Sun Will Come Out from Annie, and honouring its composer Charles Strouse as well as George Wendt, Richard Chamberlain, Athol Fugard, Joan Plowright, Quincy Jones, Linda Lavin, James Earl Jones and Gavin Creel. Erivo was an amiable host, at one point appearing in the second mezzanine to comment that everyone likes the view from theatre balconies — except perhaps Abraham Lincoln. She had fun with Winfrey later on, telling her to check under her chair, where she found a gift bag with a toy automobile. 'You get a car!' Erivo cracked. The best book and best score awards went to Maybe Happy Ending, a rom-com between androids, with lyrics written by Hue Park and music composed by Will Aronson. Its director, Michael Arden, won — 'Happy Pride!' he said — and it also picked up best scenic design of a musical. Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado won for choreographing Buena Vista Social Club, and Peck noted a song from the renowned original album was played at their wedding. The musical takes its inspiration from Wim Wenders' 1999 Oscar-nominated documentary on the making of the Cuban album. Best costumes in a play went to Marg Hornwell for The Picture of Dorian Gray, while Death Becomes Her won the musical counterpart, a win for Paul Tazewell in a year where he also became the first black man to win an Oscar for designing costumes, for Wicked. 'I have dressed so many of you out there,' he said from the podium. Harvey Fierstein, the four-time Tony winner behind Torch Song Trilogy and Kinky Boots, was honoured with a lifetime achievement Tony and became emotional during his speech: 'There is nothing quite like bathing in the applause of a curtain call, but when I bow, I bow to the audience, with gratitude, knowing that without them I might as well be lip-syncing showtunes in my bedroom mirror. 'And so I dedicate this award to the people in the dark.'

Tony Awards laud android rom-com Maybe Happy Ending and history-making Purpose
Tony Awards laud android rom-com Maybe Happy Ending and history-making Purpose

Rhyl Journal

time2 hours ago

  • Rhyl Journal

Tony Awards laud android rom-com Maybe Happy Ending and history-making Purpose

Its star, Darren Criss, had won the leading actor in a musical award just minutes before. He also hosted the Tonys pre-show. The best new play trophy at Sunday's Tony Awards went to Purpose, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' drawing-room drama about an accomplished black family exposing hypocrisy and pressures during a snowed-in gathering. It caps a remarkable year for Jacobs-Jenkins, who in addition to winning back-to-back Tonys — his Appropriate won best play revival in 2024 — earned the Pulitzer Prize for Purpose. Jacobs-Jenkins becomes the first black playwright to win for best new play since August Wilson took home the trophy in 1987 for Fences. He urged Tony viewers to support regional theatres. Purpose was nurtured in Chicago. Kara Young — the first black female actor to be nominated for a Tony Award in four consecutive years — became the first black person to win two Tonys consecutively, with the featured actress in a play trophy for her work in Purpose. Young thanked her parents, Jacobs-Jenkins, her cast and director Phylicia Rashad. 'Theatre is a sacred space that we have to honour and treasure, and it makes us united,' she said. Sunset Blvd., with Nicole Scherzinger starring as a fallen screen idol desperate to reclaim her fame, won best musical revival, handing composer Andrew Lloyd Webber his first competitive Tony since 1995, when the original show won. The current version is a stripped-down, minimalist production. Sarah Snook took home the trophy for leading actress in a play for her tireless work in The Picture of Dorian Gray, where she plays all 26 roles. 'I don't feel alone any night that I do this show,' Snook said, dismissing the idea of her play as a one-woman show. 'There are so many people onstage making it work and behind the stage making it work.' Downtown cabaret star Cole Escola took home the best actor in a play trophy for playing a deranged, repressed and over-the-top ahistorical version of Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh Mary!, beating such Hollywood stars as George Clooney and Daniel Dae Kim. Sam Pinkleton won best director for Oh, Mary! and thanked Escola, saying he taught him: 'Do what you love, not what you think people want to see.' Francis Jue won best actor in a featured role in a play for his work in a revival of Yellow Face. He said he was gifted his tuxedo from another Asian actor who wanted him to wear it to the Tonys. 'I'm only here because of the encouragement and inspiration of generations of wonderful, deserving Asian artists who came before me,' he said. 'To those who don't feel seen,' he added. 'I see you.' Jak Malone won best actor in a featured role in a musical for the British import Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, playing a woman every performance. He hoped his win could be a powerful advocacy for trans rights. Eureka Day, Jonathan Spector's social satire about well-meaning liberals debating a school's vaccine policy, won the best play revival trophy. It made its off-Broadway debut in 2019. The original cast of Hamilton, including creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, did a victory lap all dressed in black to mark the show's 10th anniversary on Broadway, with a medley including My Shot, The Schuyler Sisters, History Has Its Eyes on You and The Room Where It Happens. First-time host Cynthia Erivo kicked off the show from her dressing room in Radio City Music Hall, unsure of her opening number as the stage manager urged her to get to the stage. As she made her way through the backstage warren, she ran into various people offering advice until she reached Oprah Winfrey, who advised: 'The only thing you need to do is just be yourself.' Erivo then appeared at the stage in a red, spangly gown with white accents, hip cocked, as she launched into the slow-burning original song Sometimes All You Need Is a Song, written by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Initially alone with just a pianist, Erivo's soaring voice was soon joined by dozens of members of the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir, all dressed in white, making her look like a powerful strawberry in a bowl of whipped cream. In her opening comments, she singled out first-time nominees Louis McCartney, Sadie Sink, Escola and 'an up-and-comer that I think you're going to really be hearing quite a bit about — George Clooney'. She noted that the 2024-2025 season took in 1.9 billion dollars (£1.46 billion), making it the highest-grossing season ever and signalling that Broadway has finally emerged from the Covid-19 blues. 'Broadway is officially back,' Erivo said. 'Provided we don't run out of cast members from Succession,' a nod to appearances this season by former co-stars Snook and Kieran Culkin and last season by Jeremy Strong. She and Sara Bareilles duetted for a moving in memoriam section, singing The Sun Will Come Out from Annie, and honouring its composer Charles Strouse as well as George Wendt, Richard Chamberlain, Athol Fugard, Joan Plowright, Quincy Jones, Linda Lavin, James Earl Jones and Gavin Creel. Erivo was an amiable host, at one point appearing in the second mezzanine to comment that everyone likes the view from theatre balconies — except perhaps Abraham Lincoln. She had fun with Winfrey later on, telling her to check under her chair, where she found a gift bag with a toy automobile. 'You get a car!' Erivo cracked. The best book and best score awards went to Maybe Happy Ending, a rom-com between androids, with lyrics written by Hue Park and music composed by Will Aronson. Its director, Michael Arden, won — 'Happy Pride!' he said — and it also picked up best scenic design of a musical. Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado won for choreographing Buena Vista Social Club, and Peck noted a song from the renowned original album was played at their wedding. The musical takes its inspiration from Wim Wenders' 1999 Oscar-nominated documentary on the making of the Cuban album. Best costumes in a play went to Marg Hornwell for The Picture of Dorian Gray, while Death Becomes Her won the musical counterpart, a win for Paul Tazewell in a year where he also became the first black man to win an Oscar for designing costumes, for Wicked. 'I have dressed so many of you out there,' he said from the podium. Harvey Fierstein, the four-time Tony winner behind Torch Song Trilogy and Kinky Boots, was honoured with a lifetime achievement Tony and became emotional during his speech: 'There is nothing quite like bathing in the applause of a curtain call, but when I bow, I bow to the audience, with gratitude, knowing that without them I might as well be lip-syncing showtunes in my bedroom mirror. 'And so I dedicate this award to the people in the dark.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store