“Harry Potter” Fans To J.K. Rowling: “I Am The Captain Now”
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WARNING: Today’s post and episode deal with sexual assault as well as transphobia.
On today's episode of BuzzFeed Daily, we broke down the top pop culture headlines AND discussed whether J.K. Rowling has ruined Harry Potter. You can listen below or scroll down to read more about the interview!
So let's dive right into it! Recently we talked to Buzzfeed’s Nora Dominick about whether or not it’s OK to still enjoy the franchise. Here's an excerpt from the episode.
BuzzFeed Daily: So, we all love Harry Potter, but we've had some mixed feelings over the past few years. You're a very intelligent and thoughtful person, so we wanted you as a guest today to talk about this. But before we get into it, can you tell us a little bit about your history with Harry Potter? How much has it been a part of your life?
Nora Dominick: I definitely don't remember a time in which there wasn't Harry Potter in my life. I mean, I was born in '95, so basically my entire life there's been been some form of Harry Potter. As I got older, I read the books and went to midnight releases of the movies and went to the midnight release of the last book and I read it all night to finish it. So it's definitely always been a big part of my life and when I look back at like the pop culture that I've become such a fan of and was so involved with, that's definitely one of the biggest and the first I remember being so into.
BuzzFeed Daily: We wouldn't be having this conversation if it weren't for J.K. Rowling. So when she made her first public transphobic comments in June of 2020, as a fan, how did it affect you? How did your relationship with Harry Potter change, if at all?
ND: I think it definitely did. It's happened with some other projects I've enjoyed where it's really hard to now read it or watch it and not have that constantly in the back of your mind. I'm always thinking about it. And obviously, she made those comments and it was like, "Man, this person that wrote something I cherish and love is an awful person, basically." And it's coming to kind of terms with that, and it definitely made me stop and think about my relationship with Harry Potter, what she was promoting all these years, and that kind of thing.
BuzzFeed Daily: It feels like this is really just one part of a larger debate that has been happening for the last few years, of whether it's OK to separate the art from the artist. And obviously, every case is different, so it's not like a one-size-fits-all set of rules, but it does feel like there are generally two schools of thought about this: one where people completely denounce the artist and all of their art, no matter how much they might have loved it at one point, and then another where people feel like as long as they're not actively supporting the artist, they can continue loving the art. I'm curious, how do you feel about that debate, especially in relation to J.K. Rowling?
ND: I think it's such a complicated debate, and I think about it a lot of the time with J.K. Rowling. I think about it with Joss Whedon and Buffy and Marvel, and I think about it a lot with Mark Schwahn and One Tree Hill, which is like my favorite show of all time. So I definitely have personally thought about it, and I think something I really loved was something Sophia Bush said about One Tree Hill. She talked about how like she created Brooke Davis. She created and embodied that character, and it's so much more than the words on the page he put down and the atmosphere on set.
And I really kind of think about how Daniel Radcliffe became Harry, and he brought his own spin to it, and it's so much bigger than her. And we may all have found a common ground in the work she created, but there are so many more stories like "I've met friends through Harry Potter" and "I've been to conventions and was sitting in a room and chatting about it." She may have created the world, but the fandom goes so much further.
So I definitely it's one of those things where I kind of make a conscious decision to not buy any official Harry Potter merch anymore. I'll buy shirts from local businesses on Etsy and smaller businesses like that because those dollars are going to fans and not to J.K. Rowling. And like I already have all the books, so there's no need to buy the books again. I don't want her to gain anything else from my love for it, but I do still have a love for it and I'm able to celebrate the characters and the fandoms that have been created in a different way.
BuzzFeed Daily: It's been somewhat refreshing that the cast members from the movies have spoken out against J.K. Rowling and in support of the trans community, including the three leads, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. Do you feel like this show of support does anything to rehabilitate our relationship with Harry Potter?
“78% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being the subject of discrimination due to their gender identity. It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people” 👏Thank you Daniel Radcliffe for all your support 💗https://t.co/C56gu10Fkk
BuzzFeed Daily: In the last few years, people have also started to realize that there are just aspects of the Harry Potter books that are more problematic or troublesome than we originally thought. This includes its almost complete lack of people of color and near lack of queer characters. And then there's the whole house-elves are slaves thing, which is played mostly for jokes. To be fair, all art is a product of its time, and it doesn't always age well. But what do you think that Harry Potter fans now do with that?
ND: I look back on some other stuff — like I was rewatching How I Met Your Mother recently and I was like, "Man, this show feels so old for the stuff they were able to get away with." And it's just interesting when you go back and you have a different lens and you've learned more. And again, post-2016, we're all thinking about things differently and post-all of J.K. Rowling's comments. So, yeah, I definitely think it puts a more critical lens on the Harry Potter books as well, especially when you think about these values we might not have known she stood for. And now we know and they obviously aren't great. So I definitely think it puts a much more critical lens on when you go back. I did a reread at the beginning of quarantine. I read all the books, and even doing that, I was like, "Man, weird." There are some glaring holes and stuff that definitely could have been edited and that kind of thing.
BuzzFeed Daily: So for Harry Potter fans, this issue isn't going away anytime soon. On New Year's Day, HBO will be airing the 20-year Harry Potter reunion special, which J.K. Rowling will not be a part of. And then we're going to get another Fantastic Beasts movie in 2022. So, it's a part of our world at every corner you turn. So what advice do you have for Harry Potter fans who might want to engage with new Harry Potter content?
ND: I think it's like we said earlier — you know your own values and what you stand for and that J.K. Rowling is a horrible person and has these views, but you're still able to appreciate a 20-year reunion because Daniel and Emma and Rupert are very excited to see each other, and that cast is excited to celebrate the world they've built as well, and celebrate the world that you know the fans have created around it.
Fantastic Beasts is a little more difficult for me as a person. That might just be me, but it's like looking at the lens of Eddie Redmayne being contracted for three movies. You knew this movie was going to happen. They're figuring out a way to do it, and it'll come and it could just come and go. It could be one of those things, but I think the HBO reunion is definitely one of those things where I'm glad she's not involved at all. But there's going to be obviously the chatter of like, "OK, but are we supporting her if we watch this? What money is she getting out of it?" I'm always curious about what part of the profit now does she get out of some of these kinds of things. That's just something I'm kind of always thinking about.
BuzzFeed Daily: This is not for everyone, it's just a weird thing I do, and I'm sure some other people do it, too. But whenever I'm put in a situation like this and I have money available, I do donate it to a cause. So if I watch the reunion, I'll donate to Trevor Project. (And If I don't watch reunion, I'll probably still donate.) And for people who don't know, Daniel Radcliffe came out against J.K. Rowling by saying he's working with The Trevor Project. So it's definitely a great organization to support. But yeah, that is something that aligns with my values. It makes me feel better about the situation.
In the rest of the episode, we discussed the sexual assault allegations against Sex and the City star Chris Noth.
Following the premiere of And Just Like That..., two women contacted The Hollywood Reporter independently of each other and told the publication that the reboot stirred up painful memories. One of them alleged that the actor raped her in 2004, and the other alleged she was assaulted by him in 2015.
Noth released a statement, saying the accusations are “categorically false” and that the encounters were consensual.
Plus, People Magazine confirmed reports that Jeff Garlin was leaving The Goldbergs after accusations of “inappropriate behavior” on set.
According to Deadline, sources revealed that Garlin was "extremely verbally and emotionally abusive,” while earlier this year Vanity Fair asked him to address reports of unwanted hugging.
Garlin said he’s a “person who hugs for sure,” and also admitted to Vanity Fair that HR had been investigating him for three years.
While fans might be upset about Garlin’s departure from the show, it sounds like people behind the scenes aren’t exactly grieving the loss. One person told Deadline that when executives came to set to tell cast and crew that Garlin wouldn’t be returning, multiple people cheered and said the mood on set was “ecstatic.”
