Harry Potter film Malfoy actor says JK Rowling barely came to set

In addition to being the author of the original Harry Potter books, JK Rowling has long been known as the director of the films and the designer of the toys. But according to Malfoy actor Tome Felton in an interview with The Independent about his book Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Chaos of Growing Up a Wizard, her involvement in the filming was far less than people thought.

Asked in the interview why Rowling's name was not mentioned in the list of names in the book, Felton mentioned her controversial views on transgender people. First, Felton said that he would not do anything that did not support human rights, but added: "It is also a reminder that although Jo (Rowling's name) is the originator of these stories, she is not part of them. The filmmaking process is as complicated as people think. I think I only remember seeing her once or twice on the set."

Felton did not directly address his feelings about Rowling's personal views, noting that she still has a responsibility to create stories that he called "all ages and all backgrounds" enjoy. He added that his friends "have different opinions on all kinds of issues, and we celebrate our choices," and that "we don't take kindly to criticizing people who may have said something we disagree with."

Meanwhile, Rowling remains unrepentant about her previous statements, responding on Twitter that she reads her "recent royalty checks" every time she's reminded of the fans she may have lost and finds that "the pain quickly fades away." After years of making questionable changes to characters in her books via Twitter threads, Rowling echoed her feelings about transgender people and has been slammed by fans ever since.

In the wake of the incident, Harry Potter stars have spoken out about their relationships with Rowling in light of her views, while the developers behind the upcoming game Hogwarts Legacy have sought to distance themselves from her opinions, and organizations like American Four Ball have stopped referring to their sport as Quidditch, specifically citing her views as one of the reasons.