Harry Potter alum Ralph Fiennes would reprise Voldemort role: 'No question about it'

Ralph Fiennes has played plenty of villains throughout his career, but only one so evil he must not be named.

At the New York premiere of his horror comedy The Menu, the English actor said he would "of course" portray villain Lord Voldemort once more should Warner Bros. or author J.K. Rowling conjure up future Harry Potter projects. "No question about it," Fiennes told Variety.

Fiennes' statement comes after Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav expressed an interest to develop more Potter projects with Rowling, who has in recent years courted controversy for her transphobic rhetoric. "We're going to have a real focus on franchises," Zaslav said. "We haven't had a Superman movie in 13 years. We haven't done a Harry Potter movie in 15 years."

DC films and the Potter franchise have "provided a lot of the profits" within the last several decades, Zaslav said.

Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort in the 'Harry Potter' movies

Amidst the Rowling tumult, Fiennes has been a staunch supporter of the author, calling the "verbal abuse" that has been directed at her "appalling."

"J.K. Rowling has written these great books about empowerment, about young children finding themselves as human beings," he told The New York Times last month. "It's about how you become a better, stronger, more morally centered human being. The verbal abuse directed at her is disgusting, it's appalling."

"I can understand a viewpoint that might be angry at what she says about women," Fiennes continued, "but it's not some obscene, über-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 similarly defended Rowling last year, calling the vitriol against the Potter creator "irrational."

Rowling drew backlash in 2020 when she tweeted about gender identity and biological sex, stating that "erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives." GLAAD and other LGBTQ+ organizations and activists have called her rhetoric inaccurate and cruel. Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson also spoke out against Rowling and both reiterated that transgender women are women.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• Harry Potter star Ralph Fiennes thinks 'verbal abuse' against J.K. Rowling 'is disgusting'

• Harry Potter star Tom Felton says Daniel Radcliffe is a 'brother' to him in real life: 'I love him dearly'

• J.K. Rowling addresses absence from Harry Potter 20th anniversary reunion special: 'I didn't want to do it'