LONDON, Sept 26 — Emma Watson has spoken candidly about her fractured relationship with Harry Potter creator JK Rowling, saying she still loves the author despite their public split over gender identity.
In a new interview with podcaster Jay Shetty, the 35-year-old actress said, “It’s my deepest wish that I hope people who don’t agree with my opinion will love me, and I hope I can keep loving people who I don’t necessarily share the same opinion with,” according to the BBC.
Watson was among several Harry Potter stars, including Daniel Radcliffe, who distanced themselves from Rowling in 2020 after the author’s remarks on gender sparked fierce debate.
Rowling has consistently denied being transphobic, arguing instead that she is concerned about the impact of trans activism on women’s rights.
Despite their differences, Watson said her bond with Rowling remains meaningful.
“There’s just no world in which I could ever cancel her out, or cancel that out, for anything,” she explained.
“I can love her, I can know she loved me, I can be grateful to her… and there can be this whole other thing.
“My job feels like to just hold all of it.”
The actress, who played Hermione Granger in all eight Harry Potter films, recalled the “kindness and words of encouragement” Rowling gave her while growing up in the global spotlight.
“The thing I’m most upset about is that a conversation was never made possible,” she added, admitting she hopes the rift might one day heal.
Rowling, however, appeared unmoved by Watson’s conciliatory tone.
Shortly after the interview was published, the author posted on X (formerly Twitter): “A little reminder for anyone who may be regretting their very public sprint to the front of the mob and is now trying to discreetly shove their pitchfork out of sight.”
Though she did not name Watson, the timing of the post raised eyebrows.
The BBC noted that Rowling also linked to an earlier essay in which she reaffirmed her belief that “nobody sane believes… that humans can change sex.”
Watson was among 1,600 film and television figures — including Fantastic Beasts actor Eddie Redmayne and Harry Potter co-star Katie Leung — who last year signed an open letter expressing solidarity with trans, non-binary and intersex communities in the wake of a UK Supreme Court ruling defining women by biological sex.
For now, Watson seems intent on balancing gratitude with disagreement.
“What she’s done will never be taken away from me,” she said of Rowling’s legacy.
“It has to remain true. It is true.”
