During an interview on the 25th anniversary of a book she wrote, a Sky News reporter tried to ask Tom Felton from Harry Potter a question about JK Rowling, but was stopped at this point.
Reporter Claire Gregory questioned actor Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, about the author’s absence at the anniversary celebrations. Felton remained silent as his PR responded, “next question please.”
Despite the conversation being around the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the actor’s crew said they “thought it was not relevant” to question Felton about JK Rowling after stopping the journalist in the middle of their exchange.
This week at Warner Brothers Studios’ Mandrakes and Magical Creatures movie, Felton was being interviewed on video when the error happened.
And you’re sort of, you’re still, you and the other stars of the picture are still very much the face of the series, if you want, Claire Gregory of Sky noted during the interview.
We talk and listen to you guys. Evidently, JK is now sort of taking a backseat. Is it odd for her to be present at events like this?
However, a PR representative could be heard off-screen asking for the next question before the 34-year-old actress could finish speaking.
The reporter was compelled to laugh and say, “Oh okay,” to which Felton reacted by gazing blankly and fidgeting with his hands.
JK Rowling, the author of the seven best-selling Harry Potter books, came under tremendous criticism for her views on gender and women’s rights.
The author, who has recently been at the center of transphobic arguments, thinks that women and girls should occasionally be allowed in single-sex environments.
Rowling, 56, was accused of transphobia when she made fun of a June 2020 web article that referred to “those who menstruate” rather than “women.”
She later responded to the accusations in a passionate article, but ever since, others have criticized her.
Tom Felton’s team responded when questioned about why the line of enquiry was terminated by stating: “JK Rowling is not related to Warner or Tom Felton, the team believed it was not relevant to the story.”
Afterward, Sky News stated in a piece that “PRs don’t and shouldn’t” affect Sky News’ editorial orientation for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being press freedom.
Suella Braverman, the attorney general, complimented J.K. Rowling earlier this year for her stance on transgender problems, saying that schools shouldn’t have to accommodate students who identify as someone other than their natal gender.
The Conservative minister called the author of the Harry Potter series a “heroine” for pushing for female-only areas for individuals who were born female and said that schools should be permitted to treat all students according to their gender at birth.
According to her, schools shouldn’t allow trans students to wear a different gender’s uniform or address them using their preferred pronouns.
She also said that because it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to change their gender, schools have the right to treat all students according to their gender at birth.
According to the Attorney General, Rowling is “extremely bold, very gutsy” and is on “her side” of the transgender problem. Rowling has faced harsh criticism for her ideas on gender.