Johnny Flynn criticised over response to JK Rowling controversy as new 'Harry Potter' series looms

Johnny Flynn has been slammed for his comments on the controversy surrounding J. K. Rowling’s views on the transgender community while promoting the upcoming HBO adaptation of Harry Potter.

Flynn, 42, who stars as Lucius Malfoy in the series, spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about working with 14-year-old Lox Pratt, who plays Draco Malfoy, describing him as a “really cool” and “grounded” actor. He also expressed hope that the young cast “will have better treatment than previous generations.”

Seemingly unprompted, Flynn touched on Rowling’s controversial involvement in the series, saying: “Obviously, there’s quite a lot of stuff around Jo Rowling. I suppose that’s been quite interesting to navigate, the conversations there, but all important conversations to have.”

He then shifted to praise the production team and the atmosphere on set: “The people working on this are really, really great and create a really special atmosphere, [like] Francesca [Gardiner] the showrunner, and Mark Mylod and various directors. There’s such care.” On returning to set after breaks, he added: “It’s quite a thing to go do a day and then have a month or so [off] and come back and everybody’s got these really tight relationships. But it’s such a welcoming environment.”

Flynn confirmed that Lucius Malfoy will appear in season one, even though he does not appear in the first book of the series.

After the interview was published, social media users criticised Flynn for what they saw as a “watery” response to Rowling’s gender-critical views. One user wrote: “Do these people not realise it doesn’t f****** matter how nice the set is? They’re lining JK Rowling’s pockets.”

Another commented: “You know who isn’t having a great time? Trans people in the UK. [The actors involved are] helping someone who gives so much of her money to make their lives harder. But it’s nice that the cis white men are having a good time, I guess.”

The backlash comes amid scrutiny of Rowling’s donations to For Women Scotland (FWS), a gender-critical group, and her JK Rowling Women’s Fund, which financially supports legal campaigns to “retain women’s sex-based rights.” Much of Rowling’s income, including from the Harry Potter franchise, fuels these initiatives.

Another wrote: “He said a lot, without having said anything at all,” while a third added: “Nothing of value on the topic. To say it is an important conversation to have, but offer nothing to it, no argument, no point of view or belief, is just a waste of air. It’s a bailout. A way to dodge the question.”