New Harry Potter castings were signed off by JK Rowling - who will give short shrift to racists complaining about Hermione
JK Rowling gave her approval to the trio cast as the new child stars of the multi-million-pound Harry Potter TV adaptation - after previously giving short shrift to racists complaining about producers' picks.
There has been some online backlash against what has been branded ' woke ' reinterpreting of the wizarding franchise based on the seven bestselling books by Rowling, 59, which prompted eight movie versions.
But the multi-millionaire author yesterday gave her first public response to the new Harry Potter television casting announcement, with showbusiness insiders suggesting she would have a key role in the new productions.
The latest leading trio were finally announced this week after months of speculation - with Dominic McLaughlin landing the title role, while Arabella Stanton is set to play Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout will portray Ron Weasley.
One fan took to X, formerly known as Twitter, asking Rowling to let the new recruits know how she felt about their unveiling.
Rowling, who has appeared to have fractious relations lately with the original film trio, responded by declaring: 'All three are wonderful. I couldn't be happier.'
She has been outspoken in the past when responding to racists trolls unhappy about previous casting of black actresses in the role of Hermione Grainger.
There were online barbs amid the opening of the offshoot play Harry Potter And The Cursed Child in London's West End in 2016, including Noma Dumezweni in the main young female role of Hermione.
Rowling told the Guardian at the time: 'With my experience of social media, I thought that idiots were going to idiot - that's the way the world is.
'Noma was chosen because she was the best actress for the job.
'When [director] John [Tiffany] told me he'd cast her, I said, "Oh, that's fabulous", because I'd seen her in a workshop and she was fabulous.'
Rowling's first public statement on the new casting came this week in response to a social media post that said: '@jk_rowling @streamonmax @harrypotter Please tell Dominic, Arabella and Alistair that they are already loved by the fandom and we can't wait to see the show!
'We wish them all the best and that they have a magic time.'
The three new leads are expected to start filming this summer after being chosen from more than 32,000 audition tapes from across the UK and Ireland.
The new adaptation will be spread across seven seasons, equal to the number of books - although there were eight films with the final Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows split into two parts.
The HBO TV show is said to be costing £75million per episode - and the three child actors taking the lead roles have been tipped to land themselves even bigger fortunes than the original stars.
Producers Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod praised the 'wonderful' talent of the three newcomers, when making Tuesday's casting announcement.
They said: 'After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
'The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen.
'We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It's been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.'
The talented youngsters are used to acting and all have various experiences on stage or behind the camera.
Following in Daniel Radcliffe's footsteps, Dominic played Oliver Gregory in a film titled Grow, also starring Alan Carr, Golda Rosheuvel and Nick Frost.
Alastair, who will be taking on the role of Ron Weasley, featured in an advert for albert Bartlett's Jersey Royal potatoes.
Arabella Stanton, the new actress playing Hermione, has previously starred in the West End in the title role in Roald Dahl adaptation Matilda The Musical as well as playing the character Control in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express.
Arabella, who attending as a youngster the Alldance Studio in the Berkshire town of Bracknell, has an Instagram page flagged as a 'parent-controlled account'.
She shared photos including her time in the Dahl musical, captioned: 'I started auditioning for Matilda the Musical the week after my 9th birthday and feel so lucky and honoured to have spent the age of 9 being able to play Matilda Wormwood at the Cambridge Theatre, London for the Royal Shakespeare Company (and at Buckingham Palace for an extra special performance at the BBC 500 Words Final).'
The young trio will join A-listers John Lithgow, 79, as Albus Dumbledore, Paul Whitehouse, 67, as Argus Filch, and Nick Frost, 53, as Rubeus Hagrid.
It was reported last week that this big-budget new series will be filmed in a £1billion mini-centre, complete with its own school and medical centre.
Producers have poured money into the vast new studio at Leavesden, just outside Watford in Hertfordshire.
The site will include a school for the hundreds of yound actors who are committed to filming the show, while another facility is being erected for the large numbers of animals expected to feature.
Emmy, Olivier, and BAFTA nominee Paapa Essiedu is set to play Severus Snape, who was portrayed by Alan Rickman in the films.
The late Alan Rickman notably portrayed the role of the potions professor throughout Warner Bros' Harry Potter film franchise from 2001 through 2011.
Rowling released the first Harry Potter novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997, followed by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets the following year.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released in 1999, followed by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2000.
Three years later Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix was published and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 2005.
The final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released in 2007.
Daniel Radcliffe took on the role of protagonist Harry Potter in the film franchise.
Emma Watson played Hermione, while Rupert Grint was Ron Weasley.
The first movie was released in 2001 and the final one came out in 2011.
It was revealed last December that the stories were now being made into a TV series.
The late Alan Rickman notably portrayed the role of the potions professor throughout Warner Bros.' Harry Potter film franchise from 2001 through 2011
When asked about the new versions, Radcliffe, 35, previously told ComicBook.com: 'My understanding is that they're trying to very much start fresh.
'I'm sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere - so I'm definitely not seeking it out in any way.
'But I do wish them, obviously, all the luck in the world and I'm very excited to have that torch passed. But I don't think it needs me to physically pass it.'
Rowling and the three child stars from the film versions of the Harry Potter books have appeared at odds in recent years over her gender-critical opinions.
Watson, 35, last month earlier this month appeared to make a pointed Instagram comment amid a debate about Rowling's online posts about transgender politics.
The British actress took to social media following the Supreme Court in London ruling that in the 2010 Equality Act, the definition of the term 'women' relates only to biological women.
And while she did not refer to the judgment, her post came as more than 400 industry professionals including other actors from the Harry Potter franchise - including newly-recruited Paapa Essiedu - signed a pro-trans open letter at odds with Rowling's approach.
Supreme Court Judge Lord Hodge warned against taking the recent ruling as a 'triumph' for any side, but gender critical campaigners celebrated it as a victory.
Rowling, who reportedly helped fund the women's rights campaign group which brought the Supreme Court case, shared a photo online from on board her superyacht puffing a cigar in celebration.
She told her 14.3million followers on X, formerly Twitter: 'I love it when a plan comes together.'
Yet while she has been commenting at length on social media about the Supreme Court decision, fans noted the apparent silence from stars who featured in the blockbuster movie adaptations of her Harry Potter books.
Watson, whose other films include The Bling Ring and Little Women, was the first to make a public statement following the Supreme Court ruling - without directly addressing speculation about how she or Harry Potter co-stars felt about it.
She shared on Instagram, to her 73.3million followers, a quote from the British author Matt Haig.
The message said: 'To the person who said they like me best when I am not ranting about politics: I like me best when I am not ignoring fascism.'
While Watson, Radcliffe and Grint have not commented directly on Rowling's views in recent months, the Harry Potter author has suggested a breach between them.
Rowling had appeared to aim a jibe at them earlier this year, when sharing on her X account a response to another user who asked: 'What actor/actress instantly ruins a movie for you?'
Harry Potter author JK Rowling appeared to aim an online jibe earlier this year at the three young actors who have disagreed with her stance on gender issues
The writer responded: 'Three guesses. Sorry, but that was irresistible.'
And she previously indicated in April last year she would not forgive Radcliffe nor Watson as she criticised celebrities she said had 'cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women's hard-won rights'.
On that occasion the multi-millionaire author hit out at stars accused of using their 'platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors' after the release of the long-awaited Cass report into gender treatment in the UK.
That government-commissioned study deemed there to be 'remarkably weak evidence' for gender-affirming techniques in children such as puberty blockers.
It also said that 'for the majority of young people, a medical pathway may not be the best way' to help when they are 'presenting with gender incongruence or distress'.
When one fan said they were 'just waiting for Dan and Emma [Watson]' to offer a 'very public apology' knowing they'd be safe in the knowledge the author would forgive them, Rowling wrote: 'Not safe I'm afraid.
'Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women's hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
16 minutes ago
- Times
Riding a polo pony — how hard can it be?
Polo may be the only sport in the world more sensibly played on elephants. Cannoning round a field on a horse, swinging a croquet mallet the wrong way round, is like driving a Formula 1 car one-handed while using your other arm to practise your serve. In India, they play polo on elephants. Elephants are generally more inclined to lumber than speed, and come with their own elephant whisperer to steer. Alas, I'm in southwest London not Rajasthan, it's decades since I sat on a horse, and I've never had a riding lesson in my life. Nevertheless, I arrive for my first ever polo lesson well prepared. I am wearing cowboy boots and two bras. I am invincible. For one hour only, Nube is my horse. She lives at Ham Polo Club and looks at me doubtfully, as well she might. 'Her name is Spanish for 'cloud',' says my teacher, Manuel, stroking her nose. I sign a waiver promising that any calamity that befalls me will be entirely my fault. I look at Nube, wonder what the Spanish is for 'oh shit', then haul myself into the saddle and very nearly straight over the other side. When I'm safely installed, they insist that Nube is placid and small, even though the ground seems a long way down. But she is also a polo pony, and polo has always struck me not as placid but borderline lethal. We clippety-clop to the training ground and I hope for the best. • Read more luxury reviews, advice and insights from our experts Ham is a rural idyll near the A3, a place of vast green polo lawns, broadleaf trees and little white clubhouses stacked with catering company chairs. Traditionally, summer in England isn't summer without the royals being photographed at a polo match, from Charles and Camilla in the 1970s to William and Harry in the 2000s. Just once, there was Meghan and Kate at the Guards Polo Club in 2019, back when everyone was playing happy families, but no more. These days, Charles is too old, William's too busy, Harry plays furiously in Santa Barbara or Florida, and Kate's always been allergic to horses anyway. Polo, though, is still indelibly associated with the royals. Chestertons, the estate agents, sponsors the annual Polo in the Park weekend in central London, in a bid to combine the sporting and the social with diversity (not just posh people), inclusivity (not just country types) and, presumably, selling houses. Described as the world's biggest polo festival, Polo in the Park is a veritable melting pot at the Hurlingham Club in Fulham, where the Princess of Wales used to bring George and Charlotte for tennis lessons when they were little. Back at Ham, Nube and I are bonding, a bit. She makes it clear with every snort and toss of her head that I am an idiot and she knows best, and she is not wrong. Polo ponies are trained to be extremely responsive, I am told, but the flipside of that is that they need to be told exactly what to do. This is difficult when your main focus is not falling off. I hold the reins in my left hand, as Manuel's shown me, and grip the front of the saddle with my right, to his consternation. I'm used to saddles with pommels, I tell him. The last time I got on a horse was when I lived on Vancouver Island in my twenties, and over there the saddles have pommels. A couple of times a week, I'd pick up a toffee-coloured horse called Rocky from the local stable after work and we'd head off fearlessly into the forest to explore. That was then, I was 24 and Rocky, bless him, was a Ford. Nube is a Ferrari. How I sit, and lean to swing the mallet, how I hold the reins, where and how I kick and with which part of my heel are all carefully calibrated parts of the equation geared to getting her to do what I want. Get any part of it wrong and Nube will effectively shrug, take the path of least resistance and do what she wants, which is stop. Manuel is an Argentinian professional polo player who's been riding since he could walk. He makes cannoning round a field swinging a mallet look as easy as falling off a log, or indeed a horse. From my reassuringly stationary position at the side of the pitch, I watch him demonstrate a rising trot. 'Now your turn,' he says, with an encouraging smile. I rack my brains for diversionary polo-related small talk. 'Is Prince Harry any good at polo?' I ask. He considers this with the seriousness all things polo deserve. 'He's a decent amateur,' he replies. 'Now lift the reins so she knows to move forward and kick your heels. Keep kicking so she knows to keep going.' 'And Prince William?' I ask, exhausting my supply of polo-related small talk quicker than I'd hoped. 'Probably a bit better,' he says, adding that he didn't like Harry's Netflix programme Polo at all. It concentrated on the social side, not the sport itself, he complains, so he watched two episodes and gave up. The gist of his conversation is that polo is about adrenaline and sportsmanship and manly excitement, not royals, or blondes necking bubbly on the sidelines. 'Your turn!' he says cheerfully. 'I'll come too!' So off we set. I go bounce, bounce, bounce and start to worry for Nube's spine and my own. Manuel confirms that he has had a bad back for years, which is discouraging, but we persevere. My steering seems OK even though my rein handling is deemed erratic — 'lift the reins, don't pull! She thinks you want her to stop! Kick!' — but the bouncing improves sufficiently that we try a figure of eight round two traffic cones, with success if not aplomb. I grasp my mallet, activate my core, and lean over to hammer the ball two, maybe even as far as three feet ahead. I swear under my breath, Nube snorts and soon I'm getting cross. I want to be good at this, but I'm not. I want to look at ease in the saddle, but I don't. I could ride a bit when I was younger, and had a pommel, so why can't I do it now? I read Black Beauty as a child. I know my Jilly Cooper. I watched Rupert Campbell-Black canter elegantly across my TV screen in Rivals and honestly, how hard can this be? Every so often Nube and I find our rhythm and I get a tantalising glimpse of just how wonderful riding must be. Then it's gone and I'm bouncing around in the saddle like a double bra'd jack-in-the-box. After my lesson, I walk bow-legged back to the clubhouse. The polo ponies look down their noses at me from their stalls. Nube is led away without so much as a disdainful backward glance. In the distance, real polo players gallop across the pitch with languid grace, turning on a dime and belting the ball to kingdom come. Rocky would have been good at this, I think, if he'd ever got the chance, but next time I think I'll try elephant polo. Anyone can ride an elephant. How hard can it be? Chestertons Polo in the Park is at Hurlingham Park on June 6, 7 and 8.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
How Yorkshire Ripper hoaxer who derailed serial killer investigation 'tried to hide his voice when he was finally snared'
The Yorkshire Ripper hoaxer who derailed the investigation into the serial killer desperately tried to hide his voice when finally arrested, a retired police chief has revealed. Chris Gregg, 68, of West Yorkshire Police, has spoken out about the conman 20 years on from the investigation that unmasked him. The so-called Yorkshire Ripper, a reference to Victorian serial killer Jack the Ripper, killed at least 13 women from 1975 to 1980 in a reign of terror across northern England. Peter Sutcliffe was eventually identified as the man behind the killings and jailed for life in 1981. He died in prison in November 2020, aged 74. But it only came after a man named John Humble, dubbed Wearside Jack, had falsely confessed to the killings in 1978 and 1979, in a two-minute voice recording and three letters sent to police and journalists. West Yorkshire Police believed the letters and tape were genuine and diverted resources to Humble's home town of Sunderland. His cruel efforts hobbled police investigations - leaving Sutcliffe at large to kill three more women before his eventual arrest. No one knew it was Humble behind the hoax confessions for a further 24 years after Sutcliffe's conviction in 1981 - until a cold case review by police in 2005. And now investigator Mr Gregg has told The Mirror about finally snaring him - revealing Humble initially just 'kept nodding' in police interviews, knowing his voice would immediately give him away as the man behind the hoax tape. It was only when officers informed Humble a 'one in a billion match' had been made between his DNA and a tiny saliva spot on one of the letters that he eventually confessed - knowing he was caught. With Humble now speaking up in interviews, he then agreed to read aloud a transcript of his original manufactured tape. And only now, a quarter of a century on from that moment, has Mr Gregg re-listened to the recording - describing it as 'chilling' to hear it again. It was advances in forensic science, plus a new police record of Humble - from his arrest for being drunk and disorderly in 2001 - that finally created the breakthrough. With officers finally able to match his DNA to the saliva sample on the hoax letter, they soon found themselves closing in on the culprit. The former security guard was arrested at his home in in the Ford area of Sunderland, where he lived with his brother - just a few miles from the area voice experts had said the hoax taper's accent was from. He was soon brought to Yorkshire for interviewing by Mr Gregg, the new lead of West Yorkshire Police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID). And the cop soon knew he had got the right man, when Humble began reading aloud the tape transcript. The former Detective Chief Superintendent said: 'Humble had quite a remarkable memory. 'He took himself back to when he made it. It was an incredible moment to hear him read it out.' He continued: 'Those last three Ripper victims may not have died had it not been for Humble.' Barbara Leach, 20, of Bradford; Marguerite Walls, 47, of Leeds; and Jacqueline Hill, 20, also of Leeds, were all killed by Sutcliffe between September 1979 and November 1980. Sutcliffe was arrested just eight weeks later - but might have been apprehended sooner had Humble not derailed the inquiry. Mr Gregg, who had been at the heart of the £6million hunt for the hoaxer, said: 'It proved to be tragic. He did something that he never needed to do.' The envelope with a seal that bore the key saliva sample to enable the DNA match was only discovered due to Mr Gregg's sheer determination. Having worked on the Yorkshire Ripper inquiry, he knew he had to get to the bottom of it, enlisting the two original detectives for help. He first worked out the three hoax letters had been destroyed in the original forensics process, having been analysed using a chemical with a destructive effect. But he was not going to give up that easily - and remembered scientists often keep small snippets of evidence in high-profile cold cases such as this one. So, Mr Gregg wrote to the head of the forensics lab in the West Yorkshire town of Wetherby, asking if they could search for any remaining samples. And they were in luck. The police chief received a random phone call several months later to say the lab had found a 3cm sample of the final hoax letter. It was in perfect condition, preserved between two glass slides - and gave them the answers they had been looking for. Mr Gregg said it was one of the defining moments of his career in the police: 'If we had not found him, I am convinced that he would have taken that secret to the grave. 'He had not told a living soul what he had done.' Humble, who was sentenced to eight years in in 2006 after admitting perverting the course of justice, died on July 30 2019.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
JoJo Siwa addresses her sexuality amid shock new romance with Chris Hughes
JoJo Siwa marked the start of 2025 Pride Month with a poignant message for her social media followers. Taking to Instagram Stories on Sunday, the 22-year-old former child star wrote, 'Happy day 1 of the happiest month. What I have learned over the last 22 years is that pride is all about love, acceptance and celebration.' She added, 'No matter who you are or what you are, you are you, you are beautiful, and you are perfect. Everyone's story is different and everyone's journey is different.' Siwa — who shocked fans when she started dating Celebrity Big Brother UK costar Chris Hughes, 32, in April — declared that the 'most beautiful thing' about love is 'that it's just love.' In conclusion, she wrote, 'Happy pride to the beautiful LGBTQIA+ community, to the allies, and to all that exist:).' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. While starring on season 24 of Celebrity Big Brother UK, JoJo shared, 'I've always told myself I'm a lesbian, but I think being here, I've realized, "Oh no, I'm not a lesbian, I'm queer." I think that's really cool. I'm switching letters.' Later, while speaking to Us Weekly, the former Dance Moms personality said she thought the statement wouldn't make it to television. 'That was one of those conversations actually that I was having that I was like, "This will never see the light of day." I don't mind that it did, because I actually think it starts a very beautiful conversation of queer. I think queer joy is so special and so magical,' she told the outlet. She went on to reject putting her sexuality 'in a box.' 'Queer is a beautiful umbrella term for the LGBTQIA community,' Siwa emphasized. 'I think that for me to be a woman and say I have a non-binary partner, but then also say I'm a lesbian is crazy. 'I just realized within myself that the way my eyes are to the world, I think I'm just queer. It has nothing to do with anything besides that. It's nothing to be ashamed of. The world is going crazy with that one though. It flabbergasts me.' Before launching her romance with Huges, JoJo was in a brief relationship with Australian content creator Kath Ebbs, who is non-binary. Their unceremonious breakup happened at the Celebrity Big Brother UK wrap party in April. Back in 2022, Siwa was forced to defend herself after telling Yahoo! Life she doesn't like the word 'lesbian.' She took to TikTok to clarify her statement and address scrutiny from fans, stating, 'I never said that 'lesbian' was a dirty word.' In the interview with the publication the former Lifetime star said, 'I don't like the word itself. It's just like a lot. But I mean, at the end of the day, that's what I am.' She compared it to the word 'moist,' which some people don't like because of the way it sounds phonetically. 'It's like the word moist. It's just like… ugh!' she added, much to the dismay of some of her followers. She reiterated on TikTok, 'I never would say that it's a dirty word because it is not. It's not a bad word, it's not a slur, it's especially not a word that I am ashamed of saying or ashamed of identifying as by any means. The the blond dancer added, 'I don't hate the word lesbian. Whenever someone talks to me about my sexuality I just say that I'm gay.
