Tom Felton’s Comments on JK Rowling Controversy Fuel ‘Harry Potter’ Fans’ Outrage
It wasn’t the first time the actor showed his support for Harry Potter’s author, though fans are less than impressed by Felton’s gesture — here’s what happened.
The Harry Potter franchise’s community has been going through a rough patch ever since JK Rowling got cancelled due to numerous controversial statements, but there was at least one of the movies’ actors that stayed by her side.
Just like Rowling, Draco Malfoy’s actor Tom Felton has been repeatedly slammed for standing up to violence against minorities; the news about Felton reprising his role in Broadway’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child added up to the overall fuss.
However, it was the actor’s revelations at Sunday’s Tony Awards that for some fans became the breaking point.
Tom Felton Says He’s “Incredibly Grateful” to JK Rowling, Despite Allegations
.jpg)
Now set to portray an older version of his Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the actor is happier than ever to get back to the franchise even if it means collaborating with JK Rowling again — which, apparently, Felton doesn’t mind at all.
“The only thing I always remind myself is that I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world — here I am in New York — and I have not seen anything bring the world together more than ‘Potter’. And she’s responsible for that, so I’m incredibly grateful”, he revealed in an interview with Variety while attending the Tony Awards on Sunday.
Felton also didn’t lose an opportunity to talk about his own Broadway debut that starts this November, saying that reprising his old role in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is still a major challenge, though he seemingly enjoys tackling all those differences.
“The most exciting part is to do it live. It took nine months, more or less, to shoot a film, and this is all compact. This is all reimagined into a very loving, new type of story. And I get to be a dad, which is really fun”, Felton added.
‘Harry Potter’ Fans Are About to Cancel Tom Felton Too
Even with some sources claiming that the actor isn’t on the same side with JK Rowling when it comes to trans rights, some fans are slamming Felton just because he hasn't been vocal on the issue.
“He's trying to pretend he's not picking sides, but by doing so, he's showing where his priorities lie. I'm saying this as a harry potter fan: this behavior is pathetic and deciding to go engage with the franchise again even if he knows what's going on is the proof he doesn't give a s—t”, Redditor Purpleespresso revealed in a news-related thread.
“I get that Tom never had a career after Potter and probably feels super jaded that he started off as a child star and probably the most experienced actor on set (I think he screen tested for Harry too and very nearly got it) yet work dried up quickly, but this is just bootlicking money over moralistic integrity,” OverTheCandlestik added.
“That's called 'turning a blind eye', Tom. 'Not attuned to it', in other words, he's choosing money over morals, at least say it as it is”, befuddled_humbug wrote.
