Directors Ally Pankiw and Kate Herron have both shared on social media that they declined offers to direct episodes of HBO’s forthcoming “Harry Potter” TV series over author J.K. Rowling‘s well-publicized anti-trans views.
Pankiw, whose credits include the Seasons 6 and 7 premieres of “Black Mirror,” shared a screenshot on Instagram of a text exchange between her and her agent in which she immediately turned down the opportunity to work on “Potter.”
“I have an instinct on the answer but I feel compelled to ask. ‘Harry Potter’? Hard no?” the agent wrote, to which Pankiw replied, “Absolutely f—king not! lol (But thank you for asking).”
“Of course 🙂 I assumed as much (And agree),” her agent replied. Meanwhile, in the caption of her Instagram post, Pankiw called out those who have signed on to work on the HBO series, writing, “It simply is this easy to say no to funding transphobia! (Also this was for directing, not acting … obviously lol)”
Director Kate Herron, who helmed the entire first season of Marvel’s “Loki” as well as episodes of “The Last of Us” and “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” wrote in the comments section of Pankiw’s post that she has similarly turned down offers to direct “Potter.”
“❤️❤️❤️ Yeah thank you exactly! Respect and love to you Ally,” Herron wrote. “They’ve asked me twice and I’ve had to explain my answer is never gonna change from a no.”
“Also want to shout out the amazing @herronthatkate who also said ‘no’ … twice! And that’s actually hard!” Pankiw later wrote in a Instagram story post resharing Herron’s comment.
Pankiw and Herron’s comments come just a few days after “Superman” star Nicholas Hoult was cast as Gilderoy Lockhart, a role originally played by Kenneth Branagh, in the second season of HBO’s “Potter” adaptation. (Hoult, notably, was the one of the lead stars of “The Great,” a Hulu original series that Pankiw directed two episodes of.)
Rowling’s outspoken transgender views have proven to be a major talking point for the “Harry Potter” show ever since it was announced. As production has commenced and characters have continued to be cast, those involved in the drama have come under fire online for their willingness to work on a project that Rowling not only created but stands to profit and benefit from.
Certain “Potter” actors, such as Bel Powley, Paapa Essiedu and Nick Frost, have made it clear that they do not share Rowling’s anti-trans views. In an interview with The Telegraph published Monday, Powley said, “I strongly disagree with J.K. Rowling’s views on gender. I think that the trans community deserve safety and dignity and respect and total acceptance.”
“But I love ‘Harry Potter,’” Powley added. “I grew up with the books. I am from that first generation of readers and, again, I love magic and spookiness.”
In an interview on “The Town” podcast last May, HBO Chairman and CEO Casey Bloys said that Rowling is free to have her own opinions and reiterated that the “Harry Potter” TV show will not be secretly “infused” with her views.
“The decision to be in business with J.K. Rowling is not new for us. We’ve been in business for 25 years,” Bloys said. “It’s pretty clear that those are her personal, political views. She’s entitled to them. ‘Harry Potter’ is not secretly being infused with anything. If you want to debate her, you can go on Twitter.”
The series’ first season, titled “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” is slated to premiere Dec. 25 on HBO and HBO Max. The adaptation has already been renewed for a second season.
