Hollywood gives a voice to the least qualified. Like many people, actors and actresses in the film industry have opinions about everything, but for those in Hollywood, their beliefs can be detached from reality.
Emma Watson, 35, is famous for her role as Hermione Granger in the film franchise “Harry Potter,” based on the books by author JK Rowling. Watson filmed eight movies from 2001-2011, developing a relationship with Rowling, who was involved with the films, during the process. As with many Hollywood-based relationships, the two women’s political differences have taken place in the public sphere of social media.
In 2020, Rowling posted on the social media platform X, at the time Twitter, about the nonsense of transgender ideology and its denial of reality.
“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth,” Rowling said in the June post.
Rowling’s comments disappointed many fans, inspiring attempts to cancel her for the supposedly hateful comments. Members of the cast, including Daniel Radcliffe — Harry Potter, himself — publicly rejected Rowling’s remarks and denounced her opinion.
Watson responded to Rowling in a 2020 post, saying, “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.”
In the years since those posts, Rowling has continued to defend her position on transgenderism, even as many actors from the films and former fans have distanced themselves from her.
In September 2025, Watson appeared on the podcast “On Purpose With Jay Shetty.” When asked about Rowling’s 2020 comments and the resulting public dispute, Watson said she will always have love for Rowling.
“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, and that my experience of that person I don’t get to keep and cherish.”
At the same time, Watson continued defending her support for transgenderism and her fellow castmates. Following the podcast release, Rowling posted on X saying, Watson’s ignorance for the entire situation should be disconnected from her role as Hermione Granger.
“I’m not owed eternal agreement from any actor who once played a character I created. The idea is as ludicrous as me checking with the boss I had when I was twenty-one for what opinions I should hold these days,” Rowling said in a post. “The greatest irony here is that, had Emma not decided in her most recent interview to declare that she loves and treasures me — a change of tack I suspect she’s adopted because she’s noticed full-throated condemnation of me is no longer quite as fashionable as it was — I might never have been this honest.”
Rowling’s response is a reality check both for fans and for all of Hollywood: the cancel culture that once attacked people for rejecting gender ideology as a religious obligation is no longer silencing dissenting voices.
Watson has every right to disagree with Rowling’s beliefs. But recognizing the opportunity Rowling’s success has granted her should outweigh the ritual commitment of rejecting the biological reality of the sexes.
Rowling created Hermione, and Watson brought the character to life. As a result of Watson’s comments the inspiring character of Hermione becomes associated with disillusioned beliefs of gender ideology. It is the duty of her author to correct it, regardless of an actress’s representation of the character.
Hollywood will continue to be a cesspool of leftist ideology, making Rowling’s defense of both biological realities and her characters refreshing in the echoes of brainwashed leftist culture.
