The actorPedro Pascalhas attacked author JK Rowling on X, calling her a “heinous loser”.
Pascal responded to a comment reporting the words of activist Tariq Ra’ouf in an Instagram video, in which he urged people to boycott Rowling’s work.
“It has become our mission as the general public to make sure that every single thing that’sHarry Potterrelated fails … because that awful disgusting shit, that has consequences.”
Pascal liked the post and wrote: “Awful disgusting SHIT is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behaviour.”
Responding on Instagram to the interaction, Ra’ouf applauded Pascal and said he also felt the “immense pain” of the silence of other celebrities.
Pascal has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and is frequently accompanied on the red carpet by his transgender sister, Lux.
Rowling has attracted some backlash to a photograph she posted of herself last week, smoking a cigar on a yacht with the caption: “I love it when a plan comes together.”
This came after judges in Scotland ruled that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex. The action to determine this had been brought by For Women Scotland, a campaign group which brought a case against the Scottish government in which they argued that sex-based protections should only apply to those born female.
Rowling wrote on X: “It took three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them to get this case heard by the supreme court and, in winning, they’ve protected the rights of women and girls across the UK,” adding, “For Women Scotland, I’m so proud to know you.”
In February, Pascal shared the quote: “A world without trans people has never existed and never will,” on Instagram, dividing his followers. After some threatened to unfollow him, he reiterated his stance, writing: “I can’t think of anything more vile and small and pathetic than terrorising the smallest, most vulnerable community of people who want nothing from you, except the right to exist.”
Earlier this week, he wore a T-shirt reading: “Protect the Dolls” to the London premiere of Marvel’s Thunderbolts*, part of a pro-trans campaign by American designer Conner Ives.
Some of the cast of the new HBO Harry Potter series have experienced online abuse in response to their involvement. However, all three of the key actors so far revealed have also played landmark LGBTQ+ roles. John Lithgow, who will play Albus Dumbledore, won much acclaim for his performance as a transgender woman in 1982’s The World According to Garp.
Janet McTeer, who takes over as Professor McGonagall, played a trans man in 2011’s Albert Nobbs, while Paapa Essiedu (cast as Prof Snape) has frequently played queer roles, most notably in I May Destroy You and the short film Femme, in which he played a gay drag performer.
The series begins filming later this year. Casting of the leading children’s roles has yet to be announced.