Andrew Garfield Defends Watching ‘Harry Potter’ Despite J.K. Rowling’s Trans Views

Daniel Radcliffe in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1' Courtesy Everett Collection Logo text

Andrew Garfield made a case for supporting the Harry Potter franchise — despite firmly disagreeing with saga author J.K. Rowling‘s trans views — while the author herself weighed in on HBO’s first teaser trailer for the TV reboot.

The Amazing Spider-Man and The Social Network star was talking to Hits Radio when he first praised Daniel Radcliffe’s performance in Broadway’s Merrily We Roll Along, and then made a case for separating the art and the artist when it came to Harry Potter — particularly since thousands of other people also worked on the Warner Bros. films.

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“Daniel is so goddamn good,” Garfield says. “And honestly, I hadn’t watched [the Harry Potter films] until recently. He’s really good in those Harry Potter movies. Those Harry Potter movies are really good. I really liked them. I know we shouldn’t be putting money in the pocket of inhumane legislation right now through She Who Shall Remain Nameless, but the soul and spirit of those films … the kids are so good … and all the artisans — I’m working with a wonderful makeup artist right now, Clare [Le Vesconte] who was working in the creature workshop [on the films]. And I’m like, oh man, we can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, there are so many beautiful artists who worked on those films.”

Late Thursday, Rowling responded to a fan saying HBO’s teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone “looks bloody marvelous.” Rowling replied, “It’s going to be incredible. I’m so happy with it.”

Actor John Lithgow, who plays Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the series, has said he’s been “stung” by the criticism he’s received since accepting the role. Lithgow has also noted that her books are “clearly on the side of the angels, against intolerance and bigotry.”

The release of the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone trailer has renewed debate among some fans about whether to watch the new show. As one person wrote on Reddit about the trailer, “The most important fact about this show is that Rowling uses her billions of dollars of personal wealth to lobby against the rights of trans people to exist in public … The lives of my trans friends are all worse off because of the people and organizations she throws money at but whatever, why would any Harry Potter fan care when caring might get in the way of wallowing in their adolescent nostalgia slop.”

That said, most of the reaction to the new footage released this week has been very positive and the trailer has so far racked up more than 130 million views across all social media platforms, with fans dissecting every tiny element. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will be released this Christmas. Here’s a rundown of the most common reactions — positive and negative — to the trailer.