Harry Potter star Tom Felton is weighing in on his return to the franchise amid author J.K. Rowling’s controversial views on transgender rights.
Felton, 37, is set to reprise his role as Draco Malfoy, which he originated in the film series released between 2001 and 2011, on Broadway in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Speaking to Variety at the 2025 Tony Awards on Sunday, June 8, Felton said he was “not really that attuned” to the controversy surrounding Rowling, 59, the franchise’s creator, who has faced backlash in recent years over her views about the trans community.
Asked if that impacted his decision to reprise his most famous role, Felton said that he “can’t say it does.”
“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 [Harry] Potter. And she’s responsible for that, so I’m incredibly grateful,” Felton explained.
In the past, Harry Potter stars including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have affirmed their support for the trans community and their rights, putting them at odds with Rowling. “I firmly stand with the trans community. Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment,” Grint told Us Weekly in a statement in June 2020.
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Felton is set to become the first actor from the Harry Potter movies to play the same role in Cursed Child, a sequel play set nearly 20 years after the final film.
“It’s very much a pinch-me situation. I keep thinking I’m dreaming,” he told Today’s Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin on Thursday, June 5. “So, I let go of that character 16 years ago, and now getting a chance to step back in his shoes as a father this time, in a new story. I get to meet Draco as an adult, which is very exciting.”
“It’s such a huge part of my childhood. It’s like me going back to high school or whatever. I’ve been very excited to share this news. I’ve had to keep it under wraps for quite a while,” Felton added.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child originally debuted on London’s West End in 2016 before transferring to Broadway in 2018. The Cursed Child primarily focuses on the friendship between Harry and Ginny Weasley’s son, Albus, and Draco’s son, Scorpius, during their years at Hogwarts. The Slytherin friends set off on a mission to right one of Harry’s most life-changing moments — the death of Cedric Diggory.
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