The 37-year-old actor, greatest identified for enjoying Draco Malfoy within the “Harry Potter” movies from 2001 to 2011, is making ready to reprise his position within the upcoming Broadway manufacturing of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Youngster.”

Whereas attending the awards present, Tom Felton was requested whether or not the continuing controversy surrounding J.Ok. Rowling’s views on gender id affected his relationship with the franchise.

Felton didn’t hesitate to share his stance and made it clear he wouldn’t criticize the lady who launched his profession.

“No, I can not say it does. I am not likely that attuned,” he instructed Selection. “The one factor I at all times remind myself is that I have been fortunate sufficient to journey the world. Right here I’m in New York. And I’ve not seen something deliver the world collectively greater than ‘Potter,’ and he or she’s chargeable for that. So I’m extremely grateful.”

Felton’s feedback shortly ignited a wave of responses on-line, with some praising his loyalty and level-headedness.

One fan wrote, “Thank goodness somebody in that franchise discovered to not chew the hand that feeds him.” Others echoed the sentiment, calling him “a great man. Wise, grounded, grateful,” and even joked, “Seems the villain was the great man in any case. What a gracious, respectful reply.”

Nevertheless, not everybody was impressed.

Critics referred to as his response dismissive and out of contact, with one consumer writing, “What a privileged straight white man take.” One other added, “A coward similar to Malfoy,” whereas another person commented, “What would a privileged straight white cis-male know concerning the oppression confronted by my trans colleagues?”

The reactions underscored simply how divided the “Harry Potter” fanbase stays on the problem, and the way polarizing Rowling’s legacy has grow to be.

Following the discharge of the long-anticipated Cass Overview within the UK, a report that beneficial a extra cautious method to youth gender therapies, together with halting the routine prescription of puberty blockers, Rowling declared the findings a “watershed” second.

Taking to X (previously Twitter), the creator stated the evaluation “lays naked the tragedy” of permitting youngsters to transition and pointed fingers at public figures who, in her view, contributed to the hurt.

Rowling additional expressed heartbreak over what she described as irreversible hurt to youngsters, stating, “Children have been irreversibly harmed, and hundreds are complicit, not simply medics, however the celeb mouthpieces, unquestioning media, and cynical firms.”

She added, “The implications of this scandal will play out for many years. You cheered it on. You probably did all you might to impede and misrepresent analysis. You tried to bully folks out of their jobs for opposing you.”

In an emotional closing publish, Rowling stated she “burst into tears” after studying letters from detransitioners.