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

[SkyBlueBlues]

I mean, she did create the bloody thing!

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.

@phoenixrosehere

I agree with you OP and I haven’t watched it because I don’t see how you can have a decent Harry Potter programme without the wonderful woman that created the whole thing.

So how do you know if OP is right with her assessment if you yourself haven’t seen it? In OP’s opinion she wasn’t mentioned enough while others have said she was mentioned quite a bit. How can you agree if you choose not to watch it?

I was under the impression that she wasn’t in it at all, so it’s been interesting to read that other posters thought she was spoken of well in the program.

I was already thinking maybe I should change my mind and watch it before I got to your post.

@NameChanged15729

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

Bollocks, she happens not to fall 100% into a pathetic agenda.

It’s a bit like Michael Jackson. Some believe him to have committed certain offences even though there is no proof, and yet even many of those who believe that still acknowledge that his music was brilliant.

You what? Saying that biological sex is real is like repeated child abuse lawsuits and allegations?

No, no it really isn’t.

While I agree that it would have been nice to see JKR in interviews, it wasn’t like she was completely cut out- she was mentioned regularly throughout.

At the end of the day people are entitled to their own opinions, this applies to both JKR and the actors. To say they “betrayed” her or are “disloyal” is silly, just because someone provided you with a job doesn’t mean you have to be forever in their debt and agree with everything they say and do going forward . The actors started out this journey as children but they are now adults who are all informed enough to have an opinion and stand by it. Just because their opinion disagrees with your own doesn’t make them weak or disloyal.

Visitors to the FWR board who state as fact 'JKR is a transphobe' have been asked innumerable times specifically what she said that was transphobic. There's never been an answer. For those on this thread who are stating the same, here is JKR's essay for ease - www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/

I actually had a civil and interesting conversation with someone yesterday about why she thought Rowling was transphobic and what exactly Rowling said that was offensive.

She said that Rowling "said it without saying it".

I’m always baffled that ‘biological sex is real’ is presented as an opinion you can disagree with

Biological sex is a fact

@Theeyeballsinthesky

I’m always baffled that ‘biological sex is real’ is presented as an opinion you can disagree with

Biological sex is a fact

These people like to exploit people with differences of sexual development as "proof". People with DSDs are generally hugely offended by this, not least because a variation of development along a sexual pathway doesn't mean sexual development doesn't exist. Some of them like to wang on about how all foetuses start off along the female sexual pathway before the Y chromosome, if present and functioning, interrupts it. How males develop is interesting but it doesn't mean there's no such thing as a man.

@Waitwhat23 Thank you for posting that link. It’s such a powerful piece of writing.

@NameChanged15729

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

Please could you clearly state (with proof/links etc) where she has stated that she’s transphobic.

Because, if you can prove it, I might be swayed to changing my opinion about her.

I REALLY look forward to seeing this proof. In the meantime, I need to crack on with training my flying pigs, feeding my unicorn and topping up the feeders for the fairies living at the bottom of my garden.

I remain thoroughly disappointed in Daniel Radcliffe for apologising to trans people on behalf of JKR and for what she is alleged to have said.

That is disloyalty. No woman needs a man to apologise for her, misrepresent what she said in his earnest apology and then continue to gain kudos for his career built entirely on a character written by the her.

JKR deserves to continue to be recognised as the creator of Harry Potter and all books and merch associated with it. How can you have a series of films based on books and not spend time on her inspiration and whether the films represent her own vision?

I would have happily watched that than the many, many minutes of watching the three leads gush over how they love each other.

Daniel Radcliffe has never disappointed me in anything. I've thought he was shite since Film 1. Emma Watson is even worse.

Did anyone see the screen tests of the other little boy who was almost cast as Harry, whose name escapes me? He was so good. What were they thinking?

I'm a big fan of JK and fully support her position of her position on women's rights.

But the constant assertion that the actors owe their careers to her and that she deserves their loyalty because of that is baffling.

She wanted her book made in to a movie to make money, they cast the actors they thought best for the parts to fulfill that ambition to make money.

She didn't cast them as a favour.

@Mayorquimby2

I'm a big fan of JK and fully support her position of her position on women's rights.

But the constant assertion that the actors owe their careers to her and that she deserves their loyalty because of that is baffling.

She wanted her book made in to a movie to make money, they cast the actors they thought best for the parts to fulfill that ambition to make money.

She didn't cast them as a favour.

I actually agree with this.

But it's so galling because she's so talented at what she does, while Radcliffe is shite and Emma Watson is honestly the worst actress I've ever seen, and that includes Madonna. Rupert Grint has a rubber face, take that away and he's just a pile of arse as well.

@Mayorquimby2

I'm a big fan of JK and fully support her position of her position on women's rights.

But the constant assertion that the actors owe their careers to her and that she deserves their loyalty because of that is baffling.

She wanted her book made in to a movie to make money, they cast the actors they thought best for the parts to fulfill that ambition to make money.

She didn't cast them as a favour.

I wouldn't apologise on behalf of something my first employer is accused of saying, and then spend the rest of my career happily associated with that job whilst acting as though the first employer didn't exist.

Yeah I'd have loved to watch the HP reunion but I haven't the heart for it with all the controversy around it. I just lost so much respect for the main 3 with the way they've carried on with their big right on public denouncements of JKR.

Maybe now that Emma Watson is being called anti Semitic for supporting Palestinians, she will realise how unfair it is to be unfairly labelled as phobic of one group because you happen to support another.

@DrSbaitso

I actually had a civil and interesting conversation with someone yesterday about why she thought Rowling was transphobic and what exactly Rowling said that was offensive.

She said that Rowling "said it without saying it".

Congratulations on remaining civil? You are a more patient person than I.

I watched the reunion programme, mostly because my nine year old wanted company, and I admire JKR for her stance on women's rights requiring no wooliness of thinking about sex.

While I did vaguely wonder at times whether the older actors who had participated or not participated had done so because of their support of or disagreement with her views, her absence (apart from a few clips of interviews carefully captioned '2019') didn't feel especially glaring, as it was clearly a celebration of the films rather than the novels, prompted by the 20th anniversary of the first godawful film.

I thought the programme was mildly interesting -- it's fairly clear that all three leads were miserable at various points, and I hadn't known both EW and RG had seriously considered quitting midway. That the guy who played Draco Malfoy had had a giant crush on Helena Bonham-Carter was quite funny.

Other than that, there was an awful lot of the three leads sitting, often mildly weepy, in chairs on the Gryffindor common room set, solo and then in pairs and as a trio, like some kind of parlour game.

Robbie Coltrane looked older. Gary Oldman was unrecognisable. Ralph Fiennes appears not to have aged at all. The Phelps twins, who played Fred and George Weasley, look far better with their own dark hair.

@CaveMum

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!

Yep. Screaming 'transphobe!' at her didn't make her STFU like they wanted so they're giving racist and antisemitic a go.

I've seen a few twitter comments regarding the latest accusations along the lines of "I'm sure she didn't mean it, but it's problematic so she should apologise and promise to do better anyway". In all likelihood they couldn't give a shit, they just want a successful woman, who stands up for women, down her knees apologising to them. It's nothing more than a power grab.

I doubt she'll bend, and I hope she never does. Because once you capitulate it is never, ever enough. It'll be "you apologised for this, why not that" etc. Bollocks to that!

I didn't watch it either, I love the books and the films. Can do without a feature length back patting though.

Whatever your position in her views, or to what extent she should have been involved in their programme - it’s just not true to say she wasn’t mentioned. She was mentioned by lots of the actors and directors featured. As well as her previously recorded interviews.

YANBU op. It's a disgrace.

Read JKR's actual words (not her reported words). She is not transphobic, she is pro-women!

She observed pithily that it is absolute madness that those who have been raped see their rapists classed as female in Scotland right now. And if your sympathies in such a scenario lie with the poor misgendered rapist rather than the victim, give your fucking head a wobble.
I need to read this every day to remind myself of JKR's bravery in speaking out.

I dunno, I think YABU. JKR wrote the books and has been lauded the world over for it - this was about the films, the creation of them, etc.

You wouldn't expect a cast & crew reunion of the Alien films to gush about Dan O'Bannon, would you? No, it's Ridley Scott and James Cameron - the people who made the films from the source material. Nobody gets all the Marvel comic writers into the behind the scenes chats with the Avengers etc films - it's about making of the films themselves, not the source material per se.

It wasn't the existence of the books that made the younger actors famous: it was the film adaptations.

So for that reason YABU.

"I wouldn't apologise on behalf of something my first employer is accused of saying, and then spend the rest of my career happily associated with that job whilst acting as though the first employer didn't exist."

Equally if I had been a big part of a major project for apple/Facebook I wouldn't take it off my CV or deny my achievements of Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs had come out and said something I thought was bigoted.

@BurntO

She was mentioned a lot but she isn’t exactly popular. I don’t think half the cast would have appeared in it had she she been involved. Sorry!

They will regret this when the detransitioners start to go public.