The author J.K. Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter series, has been celebrated for years for their writing of the worldwide sensation. Ever since the first movie came out in 2001, the movie series have also been a hit for audiences all across the globe.
Children worldwide were inspired by the mystical stories that Rowling created in their books, and the movies that followed that made it even more accessible to the public.
“In third grade, my parents said we were going to Universal Studios with my cousins who had just read the books, and I obviously had to read them. I got through all of the books in seven months in third grade,” Rylee Jones, 11, said.
While the books and movies are made for a youth audience, Rowling’s social viewpoints are not on the same wavelength of their movies. Their comments caused a rift between their writing and her audience.
“I don’t understand her views because she will say things about Harry Potter fans and how they need to grow out of it because it’s a kids book, but she literally wrote them and should accept the praise,” Jones said.
Certain opinions of Rowling’s have been reflected in her writing and the movie interpretations.
“You can definitely see her racism seeping through with some of the character choices, but I think it’s best to put her choices on the back burner when you watch the movies,” Elizabeth Olsen, 10, said.
Those who are Harry Potter enthusiasts tend to think of the series as a singular figure rather than stories connected to the writer.
“With J.K. Rowling, her opinions are almost funny and how incorrect they are, and in my mind she’s not even associated with Harry Potter. In my mind, they don’t even correlate with each other,” Olsen said.
Fans associate the famous actors who got their break with the movie series with the characters that Rowling created.
“When I think of Harry Potter, I think more of the actors like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson,” Jones said. “I associate it with that and less with J.K. Rowling and her political opinions and her quote about how it’s just a children’s book, and I feel like it’s easier to split those apart.”
With Rowling’s opinions being public knowledge, it comes down to the individual to decide whether or not the artist themselves overpowers their love for the art.
“It’s good to be aware and try to support her as little as possible, like trying to not buy things associated with her or trying to support other fans instead,” Olsen said. “If you’re a celebrity, and you have this much power and dictation over what people think, then it should be used for good. It should be used to spread awareness and support people like the LBGTQ+ community.”
Choosing to continue loving a story about wizards and denouncing a famous writer is a controversy that many in the Harry Potter community have had to come to terms with. In the end, deciding between the magic and misguided opinions comes down to each person’s own values, but The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will continue to be a staple for all to love.
