Emma Watson has spoken publicly for the first time in years about her complicated relationship with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, offering a message of compassion and reflection amid ongoing tensions over Rowling’s controversial views on transgender rights.
In a candid interview on the On Purpose With Jay Shetty podcast, released this week, the 33-year-old actress and activist addressed what Shetty described as Rowling’s statement that she would “never forgive” Watson and other Harry Potter cast members for distancing themselves from her.
Watson, who portrayed Hermione Granger in all eight Harry Potter films from 2001 to 2011, emphasized her continued love for Rowling as a person, even as they remain publicly and ideologically at odds.
“I really don’t believe that by having had that experience and holding the love and support and views that I have, mean that I can’t and don’t treasure Jo and the person that I had personal experiences with,” Watson said. “I will never believe that one negates the other.”
Watson went on to explain that she doesn’t view her public support for the transgender community as incompatible with honoring the past she shared with Rowling, who created the fictional universe that made Watson a global star.
“I just don’t think these things are either-or,” she continued. “It’s my deepest wish that I hope people who don’t agree with my opinion will love me, and I hope I can keep loving people who I don’t necessarily share the same opinion with.”
A Fractured Legacy
Watson’s comments come after years of tension within the Harry Potter fandom and cast, following Rowling’s increasingly outspoken opposition to aspects of gender identity and trans-inclusive policies.
In 2020, Rowling published a series of tweets and a lengthy essay that many, including LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, interpreted as transphobic. She questioned the validity of gender identity beyond biological sex and expressed concerns about trans women in women’s spaces, rhetoric widely criticized by trans people and allies around the world.
Watson responded at the time by offering a clear and public message of solidarity with the trans community. In a widely shared post, she wrote:
“Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.”
She also encouraged her followers to donate to trans-supportive organizations such as Mermaids and Mama Cash, further cementing her stance as an ally.
“A Conversation Was Never Made Possible”
On Shetty’s podcast, Watson admitted the rift between her and Rowling feels most painful because there was never an opportunity for an open, respectful dialogue.
“I think the thing I’m most upset about is that a conversation was never made possible,” she said.
When asked whether she would be open to having that conversation, Watson didn’t hesitate: “Yeah, and I always will. I believe in that. I believe in that completely.”
Her tone throughout the interview was calm and reflective, offering neither condemnation nor denial — but rather a desire to hold space for nuance in a world increasingly defined by polarization.
Watson’s comments arrive at a time when LGBTQ+ fans continue to grapple with the painful contradiction of loving the Harry Potter universe while feeling alienated by its creator. Many trans fans, in particular, have turned to the actors, especially Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rupert Grint, for affirmation and support.
Watson’s Hiatus from Hollywood
Beyond her reflections on Rowling, Watson also opened up about her current distance from acting. While she hasn’t appeared in a film since 2019’s Little Women, Watson told Hollywood Authentic earlier this year that stepping away from the spotlight was a decision rooted in self-care.
““The bigger component than the actual job itself is the promotion and selling of that piece of work, this piece of art. The balance of that can get quite thrown off,” Watson said.
“I think I’ll be honest and straight-forward, and say: I do not miss selling things. I found that to be quite soul-destroying. But I do very much miss using my skill-set, and I very much miss the art. I just found I got to do so little of the bit that I actually enjoyed.”
The End of Magic?
As Harry Potter’s legacy continues to evolve, so too does the conversation around what it means to separate the art from the artist, and whether that’s even possible.
For Watson, that separation isn’t just about moral clarity. It’s about emotional honesty.
“I don’t get to keep and cherish my experience of [Rowling]? I just don’t believe that,” she told Shetty.
Watch the full interview on the On Purpose With Jay Shetty podcast, now streaming on YouTube and Spotify.
