Tom Felton bucked a persistent trend among Harry Potter’s younger stars this week when he backed its creator JK Rowling as she comes under fire for her views on gender ideology. 

The actor, now 37, played Harry’s nemesis Draco Malfoy in the movies from 2001 until 2011 and will reprise the role for the Broadway show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. 

And more than two decades after Rowling helped give him his big break, he doubled down on his support for the franchise’s author, insisting he is ‘grateful’ for what she has done for him.

It is in stark contrast to his co-stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. Relations between the multi-millionaire author and the actors – who have enjoyed fame and fortune thanks to the Harry Potter films – have been frosty for years because of Ms Rowling’s views on trans rights.

But Tom Felton is grateful. Asked if the controversy around the writer’s views on trans rights affect his work, he replied this week: ‘No, I can’t say it does. I’m not really that attuned. 

‘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 Potter, and she’s responsible for that. So I’m incredibly grateful.’ 

The praise reinforced his comments in 2021 ‘celebrating’ Rowling’s books and their influence on people across the world.

Most of the criticism for JL Rowling has come from the film’s millennial actors. It is the series’ older actors such as Ralph Fiennes and the late, great Robbie Coltrane proving quicker to back the series’ creator. 

Mr Felton’s younger fellow stars have been far less forthcoming in showing their appreciation for Rowling, with many going so far as to distance themselves from the woman who made their careers as she comes under fire for her social stances. 

In April, Ms Rowling insisted she would never forgive the younger stars of the film franchise for speaking out against her views on trans rights. 

Responding to a tweet that asked whether the likes of Radcliffe and Watson would apologise to the author, ‘safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them’, she said: ‘Not safe, I’m afraid.’

‘Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces,’ the writer added.

JK’s army of non-millennial actors who have backed her on gender

Ralph Fiennes – Lord Voldemort

Harry Potter actor Ralph Fiennes defended JK Rowling over ‘the disgusting’ abuse she has received for her views on transgender issues and same-sex spaces.

Fiennes, taking a different stance to the younger members of the Harry Potter cast, added that Ms Rowling choosing to express her opinions as a woman did not make her an ‘uber Right-wing fascist’.

Speaking to the New York Times, he said: ‘The verbal abuse directed at her is disgusting, it’s appalling. I mean, I can understand a viewpoint that might be angry at what she says about women.

‘But it’s not some obscene, uber Right-wing fascist. It’s just a woman saying: “I’m a woman and I feel I’m a woman and I want to be able to say that I’m a woman.” 

‘And I understand where she’s coming from. Even though I’m not a woman.’

He added: ‘JK Rowling has written these great books about empowerment, about young children finding themselves as human beings. 

‘It’s about how you become a better, stronger, more morally-centred human being.’

Ms Rowling was hit by what she described as ‘relentless attacks’ after she took issue with an online article that had ‘people who menstruate’ in its headline in 2020.

Robbie Coltrane – Rubeus Hagrid

The late Robbie Coltrane, who played the half-giant gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid in the Potter films, also defended JK Rowling before his death in October 2022.

He told the Radio Times in 2020 that the author’s critics ‘hang around waiting to be offended’, adding: ‘They wouldn’t have won the war, would they?’

Robbie spoke out in defence of Ms Rowling after she was accused of being transphobic. 

Mr Coltrane, who played gamekeeper Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, suggested people are too easily offended and said he does not find her views offensive.

He told the Radio Times: ‘I don’t think what she said was offensive really. I don’t know why but there’s a whole Twitter generation of people who hang around waiting to be offended.

‘They wouldn’t have won the war, would they? That’s me talking like a grumpy old man, but you just think, ”Oh, get over yourself. Wise up, stand up straight and carry on”.’

Cracker star Coltrane, said he did not want to go further because, ‘I don’t want to get involved in all of that because of all the hate mail and all that s***, which I don’t need at my time of life’. 

Jason Isaacs – Lucius Malfoy

Jason Isaacs has insisted that JK Rowling has poured enormous amounts of time and money into making the world a better place.

Mr Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the films, told the Telegraph in 2022: ‘There’s a bunch of stuff about Jo… I don’t want to get drawn into the trans issues, talking about them, because it’s such an extraordinary minefield.

‘One of the things that people should know about her too – not as a counter-argument – is that she has poured an enormous amount of her fortune into making the world a much better place… through her charity Lumos.

‘And that is unequivocally good. Many of us Harry Potter actors have worked for it, and seen on the ground the work that they do.’

Rowling’s critics: How the film series’ youngest stars turned on her in the transgender debate

Daniel Radcliffe – Harry Potter 

Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry in the blockbuster films, now no longer speaks with the author after falling out with her about gender ideology. 

The actor, 34, initially feuded with the Scottish writer after he penned an article declaring ‘transgender women are women’ shortly after Rowling criticised the use of the phrase ‘people who menstruate’ rather than women.

She mocked the piece writing: ‘I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?’

Shortly afterwards, Radcliffe penned an article for The Trevor Project – an LGBT+ suicide prevention charity that said ‘transgender women are women’.

He added: ‘Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I.’

Radcliffe also apologised to those who he said may feel as though their enjoyment of the Harry Potter series had been ‘tarnished or diminished’.

Now three years later, Radcliffe has revealed the pair no longer speak which he said makes him ‘really sad’.

He admitted ‘nothing in my life’ would have happened if it was not for the 58-year-old writer, but added that it did not mean he ‘owes’ what he ‘truly believes’ to Rowling for his ‘entire life’. 

Emma Watson – Hermione Granger

Emma Watson has also taken a strong stance against the author instead confirming their continued support to the trans community. 

Watson said in a tweet following Rowling’s initial comments: ‘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.’

The 33-year-old, who played school chum Hermione Granger, previously shared an image of herself in a t-shirt reading: ‘Trans rights are human rights.’

At the 2022 Baftas she also appeared to make a subtle dig towards Rowling. Host Rebel Wilson had called her onto the stage, adding ‘she calls her self a feminist, but we all know she’s a witch’.

Watson then replied ‘I’m here for all the witches’ which many viewers deemed was the actress making a jibe at Rowling. 

Rupert Grint – Ron Weasley

2022 was also the year when Rupert Grint, who played Harry’s bets friend Ron in the films, described Rowling as his ‘auntie’.

But added in an article in The Times: ‘I don’t necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but she’s still my auntie. It’s a tricky one.’

He explained his decision to voice his opposition to Rowling’s comments saying that while he has a ‘huge respect’ for the author, he can still disagree with her views. 

Rupert admitted that while he was ‘not an authority’ on the debate, he felt he had a responsibility to speak out in support of the trans community as ‘silence is louder’.

Speaking to Esquire, he said: ‘I am hugely grateful [for] everything that she’s done. I think that she’s extremely talented, and I mean, clearly, her works are genius.’

Elaborating on his reasoning, he went on: ‘But yeah, I think also you can have huge respect for someone and still disagree with things like that…

‘Sometimes silence is even louder. I felt like I had to because I think it was important to. I mean, I don’t want to talk about all that… Generally, I’m not an authority on the subject.

‘Just out of kindness, and just respecting people. I think it’s a valuable group that I think needs standing up for.’

Bonnie Wright – Ginny Weasley

Bonnie, who played Ginny Weasley, featured in four of the films before ultimately marrying Potter. 

She tweeted in support of trans people following Ms Rowling’s comments.

She said: ‘If Harry Potter was a source of love and belonging for you, that love is infinite and there to take without judgment or question.

‘Transwomen are Women. I see and love you, Bonnie x’.

Katie Leung – Cho Chang

Katie Leung started a thread on Twitter in 2020 that purported to offer her thoughts on Cho Chang’s character – before sharing links to a number of organisations supporting transgender people of colour.

Responding to the initial backlash from those who benefited from her book series she said it was ‘nonsense’ to suggest she ‘hated’ trans people.

‘I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them,’ she wrote in 2020.

‘I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.’