Andrew Garfield is defending watching the “Harry Potter” films despite the controversies surrounding author J.K. Rowling and her long history of anti-trans views.
“Daniel is so goddamn good, and honestly, I hadn’t watched [the Harry Potter films] until recently,” Garfield said during an appearance on “My Life in Movies” on Wednesday. “He’s really good in those ‘Harry Potter’ movies. Those ‘Harry Potter’ movies are really good. I really liked them.”
The actor clarified that he is against “inhumane legislation” against the LGBTQ+ community, but noted that he appreciates the “Harry Potter” films beyond the person who created the books on which the films are based, and gave a shoutout to the thousands of other artists who helped bring it to life on screen.
“I know we shouldn’t be putting money in the pocket of inhumane legislation right now through ‘She Who Shall Remain Nameless,’ but the soul and spirit of those films … the kids are so good … and all the artisans,” Garfield said. “I’m working with a wonderful makeup artist right now, Clare [Le Vesconte], who worked in the creature workshop [on the movies]. And I’m like, ‘Oh man, we can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, there are so many beautiful artists who worked on those films.’”
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Rowling, who over the years has been accused of being anti-trans, responded for the first time Thursday to HBO’s trailer for its upcoming “Harry Potter” series, which debuted earlier this week.
After a full day-and-a-half of online chatter dissecting the first trailer for HBO’s “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” — which announced a surprise Christmas 2026 premiere date at Wednesday’s time-of-launch — the author responded directly to one fan praising the project on X Thursday afternoon.
“It’s going to be incredible,” the author said. “I’m so happy with it.”
The comment marked the first and only time so far Rowling has shared her thoughts on the trailer. Her involvement in the project has been a hotly contested talking point since it was first announced in 2023.
Rowling serves as an executive producer on the “Harry Potter” series and directly informed writing and casting choices in its development process. Deadline reported that the author first visited the series’ set in November 2025, which was considered a “royal visit.”
