After Much Speculation, It Turns Out JK Rowling is in the Harry Potter Reunion After All

Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts is finally available to watch on BINGE and what a great way to start the new year. The special, which has been released 20 years after the first movie features Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who played Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, but I probably don’t need to tell you that.

Alongside the trio, other major actors made a comeback including Chris Columbus (director and producer of first few films), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort), Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), James & Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley), Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), Alfred Enoch (Dean Thomas), Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Ian Hart (Professor Quirrell). So, pretty much everyone.

But there was one person that surprised us when she appeared on our screen and that was the woman behind the smash-hit franchise, JK Rowling. I mean, it would make sense for her to be a part of the reunion, she is, after all, the entire reason the story exists, but Rowling has been embroiled in controversy ever since she outed herself as transphobic. 

To recap, the British author criticised an opinion piece in June 2020 that used the term “people who menstruate” instead of women. 

“I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” Rowling tweeted, insinuating that the only people who menstruate are women. 

Following intense backlash, she went on to issue a statement, clarifying her views, saying: “I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them,” and went on to say she would march “if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans.

“At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female,” she said in a Tweet. “I do not believe it’s hateful to say so”.

Rowling has a history of making anti-trans comments, previously supporting trans-exclusionary radical feminists, otherwise known as TERFs, and also defended a woman who lost her job due to anti-trans rhetoric.

So, now knowing all of this, you can imagine why people thought (and hoped) she wouldn’t be part of the special, and, while she didn’t appear in any new footage, production did pull out reels from the archive and had some of the cast members talk about her impact.

“So many people were falling in love with JK Rowling’s writing,” said Bonnie Wright, with Daniel Radcliffe adding: ”I think it’s very easy to forget that at the time, people were talking about the death of reading”.

Robbie Coltrane, who played Hagrid in the films, concurred: “One of the many reasons I admire JK so much is that millions now read books who would never have lifted a book up in their lives, and you suddenly realise the power of writing”.

Rowling is also seen in archival footage discussing the difficulties she faced finding the perfect person to play the role of Harry Potter.

She said: “We couldn’t find Harry! We just couldn’t find Harry, and it was getting kind of weird, and panicky”.

In the past, cast members including Radcliffe and Watson have spoken out against the writer’s divisive views.

Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts is available to stream on BINGE.