Michelle Gomez responds to backlash over 'Harry Potter' casting: 'I understand why this is painful'

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"I now understand more clearly how deeply complicated and hurtful this association can feel," the Scottish actor adds.
The news of another Harry Potter project has earned ire on social media.
Michelle Gomez, who was recently announced as a cast member of Pottermore Publishing and Audible's upcoming audio series of J.K. Rowling's original seven books, is responding to the public backlash the cast has received for accepting their new roles amid ongoing controversy surrounding Rowling's continued anti-trans rhetoric.
On Wednesday, Gomez posted a message to her Instagram Stories directed to "my LGBTQ+ fans, and especially the trans community."
"I want to speak directly to the concerns that have been raised about my involvement in this project," she wrote. "I hear you, and I understand why this is painful for many. I want to be clear that I stand with trans people, and I support trans rights — fully and without hesitation.
She continued, "When I accepted this role, I did so as someone who has always loved the stories and what they meant to so many — especially those who found comfort and identity in that world. I now understand more clearly how deeply complicated and hurtful this association can feel, and I take that seriously."
Gomez concluded her message saying, "Being an ally means listening even when it's uncomfortable and taking accountability where it's needed. I'm committed to doing both."
The Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions was announced on Tuesday. The cast includes the Doctor Who alum voicing Professor McGonagall, along with House alum Hugh Laurie as Albus Dumbledore, Succession alum Matthew Macfadyen as Lord Voldemort, Sound of Metal star Riz Ahmed as Professor Snape, and The Good Wife alum Cush Jumbo as the narrator.
Meanwhile, two groups of young actors will portray the main trio of wizards across the seven audiobooks: Frankie Treadaway, Max Lester, and Arabella Stanton will play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, respectively, in the first three, while Jaxon Knopf, Rhys Mulligan, and Nina Barker-Francis will take over the roles of older Harry, Ron, and Hermione respectively beginning in the fourth through to the seventh and final audiobook.
The audiobooks feature over 200 actors; additional cast members will be announced at a later date. The first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, debuts on Nov. 4, with the following books releasing monthly.
If Stanton's name sounds familiar, that's because she will also play Hermione in the upcoming HBO TV series. Stanton will be seen onscreen alongside Dominic McLaughlin as Harry and Alastair Stout as Ron, as well as John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore.
The stars of the TV series have similarly received backlash for their involvement in the expansion of Rowling's franchise because of the author's controversial politics.
Some have responded with indifference; in April, Lithgow told U.K.'s Sunday Times that Rowling was not the factor holding him back from joining the production.
"It was a big decision because it's probably the last major role I'll play," the actor, 79, shared. "It's an eight-year commitment, so I was just thinking about mortality and that this is a very good winding-down role."
But following the announcement, he received a text from "a very good friend who is the mother of a trans child," linking him to a Book Riot op-ed entitled, An Open Letter to John Lithgow: Please Walk Away from Harry Potter.
The actor said that he has been surprised by the rage that Rowling's name and involvement evokes. "I thought, 'Why is this a factor at all?' I wonder how J.K. Rowling has absorbed it. I suppose at a certain point I'll meet her, and I'm curious to talk to her," he said.
As for whether the criticism has soured the role for him, Lithgow replied, "Oh, heavens no."
Others, such as Nick Frost, who will play gentle giant and Hogwarts gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid, have spoken out to establish their opposing views.
In a June interview with The Observer, the Shaun of the Dead star declared, "She's allowed her opinion and I'm allowed mine, they just don't align in any way, shape or form."
When asked if he fears the debate over Rowling could overshadow the series, Frost responded, "I don't know... But maybe it shouldn't blow over? We shouldn't just hope it will go away, because it makes it easier. Maybe we should educate ourselves."In the years since Rowling began espousing anti-trans rhetoric, several Harry Potter stars — including franchise leads Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson — have spoken out against her, in support of the trans community.
Meanwhile, HBO and Max CEO Casey Bloys has claimed that the Harry Potter TV show hasn't "felt any impact" from Rowling's anti-transgender views, insisting, "It hasn't affected the casting or hiring of writers or production staff or anything."
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly