J.K. Rowling speaks publicly about her absence from this year’s Harry Potter reunion. Rowling has remained in the spotlight, for better or for worse, since her Harry Potter writing days. Additionally, she has been behind other Harry Potter-related content, including writing the screenplay for the Harry Potter prequel film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Fantastic Beasts has so far had two sequels: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and this year’s Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
To honor the legacy of Harry Potter, HBO Max released a special earlier this year called Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts. Released on January 1, 2022, the special was meant to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’s theatrical release. The special featured members of the cast reminiscing about their Harry Potter days, but one of the franchise’s most notable figures was absent: Rowling herself. While the news of Rowling’s absence from Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts was known since before the special was released, the author did not provide a reason for her absence.
Rowling finally spoke about why she did not return for Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts in a recent interview on The Graham Norton Radio Show (via The Rowling Library). Rowling claimed that she thought the reunion would be more focused on the movies rather than her contributions to the books. While, according to her, no one barred her from doing the special, she ultimately chose not to do it. Check out the full quote from Rowling below:
"I was asked to be on that and I decided I didn’t want to do it. I thought it was about the films more than the book, quite rightly, that was what the anniversary was about. No one said don’t [do it]… I was asked to do it and I decided not to."
Rowling’s explanation is certainly possible, but does come off as somewhat suspicious to those familiar with the author. Though the intricate fantasy universe she created with Harry Potter is still beloved today, Rowling has become a subject of huge controversy in recent years. She has made comments on Twitter and publicly that include anti-trans rhetoric, and has been accused of queer-baiting by changing the Harry Potter canon retroactively, leading many people to speak out against her and work not to give money to any content Rowling would financially benefit from. Rowling’s response, that she just did not think it was the place for her, seems very thin amid the context of her greater controversy. She may not have been dissuaded by producers not to go, but given the relatively lackluster explanation, it seems avoidance of controversy is still well within the realm of possibility.
Not everyone feels the same way about Rowling, however, so her presence may have been welcomed at the reunion by some. Ron Weasley actor Rupert Grint has admitted he still views Rowling like family, despite disagreeing with some comments she had made. Additionally, Harry Potter is still a beloved series that was critical to many people’s childhoods, even if they do not support Rowling now. As more Harry Potter universe content continues being produced, including video games and a supposed Fantastic Beasts 4, it will be interesting to see how that fares amid the controversy surrounding Rowling and her absence from many public Harry Potter-related events, including the reunion. Rowling herself may be widely disliked, but the universe she has created with Harry Potter still lives on.
Source: The Graham Norton Radio Show (via The Rowling Library)