Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be saddened, and yet also angry, that the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Reunion show totally blanked JK Rowling?

295 replies

SkyBlueBlues · 08/01/2022 14:13

I mean, she did create the bloody thing! Hmm

Just watched it. 100 minutes of the young cast who were the main characters (Harry, Ron, Hermione, Malfoy, Neville Longbottom, The Weasley brothers, etc,) gushing over one another. Laughing and hugging and kissing, and reminiscing and brushing tears from their cheeks, as they whispered 'we're family... always have been, always will be.......'

Not ONE mention of the woman who created it all, and gave them the lives they have now. In fact many people were interviewed, including Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Gary Oldman, Robbie Coltrane, Bonnie wright, Alfred Enoch, Toby Jones, Mark Williams, Jason Isaacs, etc. Not ONE of them mentioned JK Rowling.

All we got featuring JK, was two 10 to 15 second clips of footage from an interview she did 3 years ago. The narrator mentioned her ONCE! That's it! None of the 'stars' mentioned her, or thanked her for ANYthing. As I said, Harry Potter exists because of HER. Yet she was not deemed worthy of a mention or a thank you.

AIBU to think it's sad and also bloody infuriating, that she has been blanked in this manner? IMO, it's clearly because of the accusations of her being 'transphobic,' (which I don't think she is frankly,) and I am dismayed and somewhat disgusted, that these young people whose careers exist because of JK Rowling, are now treating her like a pariah.

I am a huge fan of Harry Potter, both the books and the films, and this has sullied it all for me now.

OP posts:
DickMabutt73962 · 08/01/2022 15:40

It's been well known that she wasn't involved or mentioned in the reunion special for a while now, so YABU to have sat through 100 mins of it and expected anything different.

TBH I find the whole HP obsession OTT, much like adults who love Disney. I like the HP series, books and films, but have no desire to continue the dragging on of it thoroughly numerous money grabbing spin off movies and plays and reunions etc

grapewine · 08/01/2022 15:40

I hope she declined. The whole thing is useless, none of the three leads would be where they are without her books and the resulting franchise. They all annoy the hell out of me. Have some respect. The wokeness is doing my head in.

ChargingBuck · 08/01/2022 15:42

@CorrBlimeyGG

She outed herself as a bigot. You can understand why many of the cast don't want anything to do with her.

(Conflating sex offenders with trans women is transphobic, whatever you 'don't think frankly'.)

Tell us what she has ever said or written that is bigoted, @CorrBlimeyGG?

Ditto conflating sex offenders with transwomen. Where has JKR ever said or written that - can you give an example?

Doggoo · 08/01/2022 15:43

They’re young actors and the level of PR training they’d have had will have taught them to not get involved in anything controversial or they risk their career.
JK Rowling is amazing but controversial right now, so I understand why they didn’t mention her.

Wheresthebeach · 08/01/2022 15:44

@grapewine

I hope she declined. The whole thing is useless, none of the three leads would be where they are without her books and the resulting franchise. They all annoy the hell out of me. Have some respect. The wokeness is doing my head in.
And she's not a bigot. The constant vitriol towards JK is insane, and imo based on misogyny. She won't go quietly while women's rights are trampled on and we lose our safe spaces. Her work is amazing and they should have the good grace to acknowledge that role in their success. Its petulant to have ignored her.
CurbsideProphet · 08/01/2022 15:44

How convenient that CorrBlimeyGG hasn't been back to show proof of JK's bigotry...

ParsleySageRosemary · 08/01/2022 15:45

Totally agree op, plus the endless merchandising of these books has got way out of hand. If I'd known how it would go when I first picked up book number 3 wondering what the fuss was about after months of watching them fly off the shelves, I wouldn't have bothered watching the films at all. They were never as good as the books.

But that's the disgusting world we live in now, make money off other people, exploit exploit exploit. Ignore the backroom workers in favour of the high-status front-end appearance merchants. Entitled twits, the lot of them.

CaveMum · 08/01/2022 15:46

The thing that makes me laugh is that TRA’s are simultaneously claiming that she both a) didn’t have enough involvement in the films to warrant much of a mention in the 20th anniversary special and b) was entirely responsible for the art department portrayal of the goblins in the film due to her high levels of control and influence 🤣

They can’t have it both ways!

ParsleySageRosemary · 08/01/2022 15:48

They can’t have it both ways!

That's exactly what the TRAs have always wanted. Everything their own way, men's way.

aSofaNearYou · 08/01/2022 15:48

@Doggoo

They’re young actors and the level of PR training they’d have had will have taught them to not get involved in anything controversial or they risk their career. JK Rowling is amazing but controversial right now, so I understand why they didn’t mention her.
This is why I seriously doubt any of them have genuinely denounced her. Whenever I see people issuing groveling apologies or statements on this subject I feel like I can smell the publicist telling them exactly what they must say.

It's creating a false impression that everyone genuinely feels as strongly about this as the TRAs, whereas actually most people probably disagree or aren't that bothered.

BendicksBittermints4Breakfast · 08/01/2022 15:49

@CorrBlimeyGG

She outed herself as a bigot. You can understand why many of the cast don't want anything to do with her.

(Conflating sex offenders with trans women is transphobic, whatever you 'don't think frankly'.)

Rubbish, I suggest you look again at what she's said, not just the edited highlights that fit your agenda! Whatever her involvement was in the films the fact remains that her books made stars from some very average and less actors.
Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 08/01/2022 15:49

@CorrBlimeyGG

She outed herself as a bigot. You can understand why many of the cast don't want anything to do with her.

(Conflating sex offenders with trans women is transphobic, whatever you 'don't think frankly'.)

Rubbish.
Original poster
SkyBlueBlues · 08/01/2022 15:50

@CurzonDax

I'm a massive HP fan (book, movies, studio tour - love them all), and will admit that I was one of those people who was initially shocked and horrified with what JK 'said'. Then, I decided to actually read what she said and found that I actually agreed with her. I'm glad I did decide to read/research what she said, rather than just judge her for a few out-of-context comments.

As for the reunion show, I watched it on New Years Day, and was really excited about it (as I said, massive HP fan). I ended up being incredibly disappointed with it - it was dull, and was basically 2 hours of the actors just gushing over each other.

100% this. ^
OP posts:
Original poster
SkyBlueBlues · 08/01/2022 15:51

@DickMabutt73962

It's been well known that she wasn't involved or mentioned in the reunion special for a while now, so YABU to have sat through 100 mins of it and expected anything different.

TBH I find the whole HP obsession OTT, much like adults who love Disney. I like the HP series, books and films, but have no desire to continue the dragging on of it thoroughly numerous money grabbing spin off movies and plays and reunions etc

Bye then. Wink
OP posts:
Emerald5hamrock · 08/01/2022 15:51

Yanbu.
It's disgraceful.
We need to set a day each week towards invading men spaces to get the message across.
Safety in numbers.

Furries · 08/01/2022 15:51

@CorrBlimeyGG

She outed herself as a bigot. You can understand why many of the cast don't want anything to do with her.

(Conflating sex offenders with trans women is transphobic, whatever you 'don't think frankly'.)

What a load of shite (as usual). Please feel free to provide a link to this.
CasperGutman · 08/01/2022 15:53

I agree that she wasn't included as much as she might have been.

That said, I voted YABU because (i) it's a TV special specifically marking the 20th anniversary of the film, and her personal involvement in the filming was relatively limited, and (ii) the actors involved mentioned her a great deal, as I recall it.

LowlandLucky · 08/01/2022 15:55

@CorrBlimeyGG

She outed herself as a bigot. You can understand why many of the cast don't want anything to do with her.

(Conflating sex offenders with trans women is transphobic, whatever you 'don't think frankly'.)

Think your village is missing you.
Forrandomposts · 08/01/2022 15:55

OP I'm completely team JKR but your post is disingenuous, she was mentioned frequently in the reunion episode but ofc not by the main three. But she was referred to repeatedly as both Jk and Jo.

As an aside she was invited to take part and declined. I don't blame her given how's she's been treated, but not the same as excluded.

Bobholll · 08/01/2022 15:55

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

NameChanged15729 · 08/01/2022 15:56

She is transphobic and I don’t blame the cast at all for wanting to distance themselves from her.

BendicksBittermints4Breakfast · 08/01/2022 15:58

there has to be a point in time where these adults should be allowed to say what they want

Presumably though they have to speak in conjunction with the current 'acceptable' agenda, otherwise they will be 'cancelled' for not toeing the near fascist party line. Adolf et al would be proud of these cancellations.

aSofaNearYou · 08/01/2022 15:59

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted as it quotes a deleted post.

Booklover3 · 08/01/2022 15:59

I refused to watch that shite.

The films were never as good as the books.

Original poster
SkyBlueBlues · 08/01/2022 16:00

@greenmarlin

I wonder if one day they'll look back and be a little embarrassed about betraying someone who gave them such a wonderful opportunity. And for saying absolutely nothing about the threats she has received. I don't know a lot about any of them, but talk about ungrateful.

I feel like the tide is turning now, though, and certainly with my children I'll be working on encouraging critical thinking, respect for single-sex spaces and an awareness of women hatred in its latest incarnation so this prim, self righteous generation will get a bit of pushback from those that come after them - and I'm sure I won't be alone in that.

Excellent post. They bloody well should be embarrassed - and they probably will be one day.

I think the tide is turning a bit now too, as I know 6 or 7 young-ish people (mid to late 20s) who were all wokie and far-leftie, (especially between 18 and around 23,) and who slated JK a couple of years ago when all this ludicrous shit kicked off, and they have moved away from the far-left ranty person they were, over this past couple of years.

Especially since leaving uni, where people were almost ALL like that. They live in a normal, hard working environment now and mix with people of all generations and classes, and have thankfully grown out of the silly 'woke' phase that is so incredibly tedious and tiresome.

@Wheresthebeach

And she's not a bigot. The constant vitriol towards JK is insane, and imo based on misogyny. She won't go quietly while women's rights are trampled on and we lose our safe spaces. Her work is amazing and they should have the good grace to acknowledge that role in their success. Its petulant to have ignored her.

Agree 100% with this too. ^

And I agree with pps. How interesting that @CorrBlimeyGG has not been back with evidence to back up her ludicrous comments.

OP posts: