Rupert Grint sparks fury from trans mob as actor confirms Harry Potter return despite JK Rowling opposition

Critics were quick to label Mr Grint a “hypocrite”, pointing to his previous public declarations of solidarity with the trans community. Critics have branded his career move as incompatible with his opposition to Ms Rowling.

The backlash mirrors the pressure campaign that recently forced Nicholas Hoult to abandon his role in the HBO Harry Potter television remake just days after his casting was confirmed.

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Mr Grint will take to the stage at the Lyric Theatre for a 17-week engagement starting on February 2, 2027, making him the second original film cast member to join the Broadway production following Tom Felton.

Mr Felton reprised his role as Draco Malfoy towards the end of last year and has since had his stint extended through to January 2027, meaning the two former co-stars will overlap by just weeks.

Expressing his enthusiasm for the project, Mr Grint said: “Ron Weasley has been a part of me since I was 11 years old and I can’t wait to meet him again in this stage of life.”

The Instagram account for The Cursed Child on Broadway posted the news, saying: “Rupert Grint will reprise his role as Ron Weasley in the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. 17 weeks only; performances begin February 2, 2027.”

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The anger on X was evident for all to see. One user branded Mr Grint “a f***ing sellout”.

Another wrote that he was “joining Tom Felton in the ranks of broke and spineless”.

A third penned: “Another day, another disappointing childhood icon”.

“Oh so you hate trans people now?” someone else asked. (sic)

Not everyone joined the pile-on, however.

Many Instagram users rallied behind Mr Grint.

One post read: “When will the Harry Potter and JK haters realise you’re a very, very small but very loud and annoying minority? HP continues to sell and be loved by far more.”

Another supporter questioned why critics were speculating about Ms Rowling’s motives, writing: “I don’t know, maybe she’s not as ‘evil’ as you’d like to suggest she is?”

“What a time to be a Harry Potter fan!” one excited fan penned, as another posted: “Amazing news!” (sic)

In June 2020, Mr Grint publicly distanced himself from Ms Rowling’s remarks on sex and gender.

At the time, he declared: “I firmly stand with the trans community. Trans women are women. Trans men are men.”

He also stated that all people deserved to live “with love and without judgment”.

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However, the actor has simultaneously maintained a warm personal relationship with the author.

Writing in The Times, he likened her to a family member, saying: “I don’t necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but she’s still my auntie.”

The backlash follows a strikingly similar episode involving Mr Hoult, who withdrew from the HBO Harry Potter series remake after facing intense online pressure.

The actor had been cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in the second series of the much-anticipated television adaptation less than a fortnight before pulling out, citing “scheduling issues”.

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Game of Thrones star Kit Harington has stepped in to replace Mr Hoult as Lockhart, having previously voiced the character for Audible’s Harry Potter audiobook series.

Ms Rowling serves as executive producer on the HBO adaptation, and numerous actors joining the project have faced hostility from her critics, who argue that any new productions based on her work ought to be boycotted.

The television reboot stars 12-year-old Dominic McLaughlin in the title role originally made famous by Daniel Radcliffe, with Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger.

Nick Frost, John Lithgow and Janet McTeer round out the cast as Hagrid, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall respectively.