Hooray for Tom Felton!

[risefromyourgrave]

Quote from his interview in The Times:

I couldn’t speak for what others have said or what she said, to be completely honest, but I’m often reminded, attending Comic Cons [fantasy conventions] in particular, that no one has single-handedly done more for bringing joy to so many different generations and walks of life. I’m constantly reminded of her positive work in that field and as a person. I’ve only had a handful of meetings with her but she has always been lovely. So I’m very grateful for that.
“I’m pro. I’m pro choice. I’m pro life. I’m pro discussion. I’m pro love. I don’t tend to pick sides. I won’t talk specifics but I enjoy reminding myself and others that a lot of my good friends have ways of life or personal decisions that I don’t necessarily agree with. We should enjoy celebrating each other’s differences.”

Funny how the Slytherin has more integrity and nuance than all those brave Gryffindors! (And yes, I know they’re not really in Hogwarts for those TRA’s who argue so disingenuously)

I had to google him to see who he is and what this was referring to, but I agree now wholeheartedly, and what a well worded statement.

I wonder if he will now feel obliged to back-track.

In a week where Emma Watson is having her name mentioned on every article covering Mermaids' multiple safeguarding disasters, I doubt it.

Those poor actors, they're damned if they do and damned if they don't. But what it's repeatedly confirming to the public is the evidence, over again, that to have anything whatsoever to do with this particular lobby is guaranteed trouble.

Reading this warmed my heart today.
It’s by the by but EW is a dreadful actress who was given a huge break by the talent of JKR.

I find the cowardice of EW, RG (particularly disappointing for some reason) and DR just awful. They have all tried to attribute words and attitudes to JKR that were never spoken.

Women are fighting for so much. Tom Felton you’ve been brave, loyal and brought some much needed common sense to the torrent of hateful behaviour directed at JKR.

Tom Felton you’ve been brave

How has he been brave?

He’s been brave by supporting JKR who has been made a complete pariah for no good reason, aided and abetted by other actors from the franchise. That’s how.

I really like Tom Felton. He’s not garnered the same insta gratification fame as the main trio but he’s also so distinct in present works from Draco that he’s shown really aptitude and progression in acting. I think that should be applauded.

I often wondered about his beliefs. He was conspicuously quiet when the main cast was castigating JKR. I would assume if he was a full on (or even semi) TWAW believer he would have said so to increase his profile - yet he said nothing.

There is part of me that’s thinking he’s just doing the safest outcome. I’m sure he said something before about thinking we should all be kinder and more open to other options, though I may have misattributed that to him.

Regardless of what his opinions are, I do think we need to embolden him and his views. As ludicrous as it is, making yourself as being ‘on the fence’ is dangerous now. It can ruin your career. So it is brave to tip toe on another line. All that said, I am also of the opinion that brave young men can do an awful lot more. I don’t want to put that on Tom Felton but I do want more men to get a bit more uncomfortable to show real support to the woman around them.

I’m pro. I’m pro choice. I’m pro life. I’m pro discussion. I’m pro love. I don’t tend to pick sides

OK well sorry but I am not super wowed by this if he’s 35. Confused whether he understands what these words actually mean? He can’t be pro choice and pro life, what nonsense.

And of course it’s nice that he’s not hounding and cancelling JKR, but only dicks do that. The media tide is slowly turning as people start to realise that the acceptance without exception-type of politics is a safeguarding nightmare. Yet here’s this guy just saying he’s ‘pro’. What does that mean? Nothing.

He’s not explicitly sticking up for JKR or condemning how she has been threatened with rape and death threats. She’s obviously a decent person, he’s decent enough to acknowledge that, yes OK. The other three former child actors are clearly absolute ungrateful idiots. But I’m not sure this is the strong defence of JKR from Felton (or from anyone else with a public platform for that matter) that JKR merits, is it?

Not really. He's just stated a fact about the enjoyment her books (and films) have brought to people.

How can you be pro choice and pro life (i.e. anti abortion). He's not brave he's just setting on the fence.

He's 35? 😲 You've just made me feel very old.

I presumed he meant pro choice rather than Pro Choice, pro life rather than Pro Life.

He’s from a country (England) where there is almost no public debate on abortion because there is no political appetite to change the current laws.

No reason to assume he’s referencing abortion, especially as ‘pro discussion’ and ‘pro love’ are also on his list of ‘pros’ and they have no political inference.

Of course pro life and pro choice is about one's stance on abortion!

Why? Why can’t those words be used to mean something other than the US abortion argument? Seems like you are projecting a specific meaning where there is none.

a quick look around the internet seems to suggest that those terms are hyphenated, in the abortion context.

I did not find that confusing, and I don't think it's all that uncommon a position, either. Maybe it's the most common.

@SaltyCrisp as others have said, I didn’t read the pro choice, pro life comments as Pro Choice and Pro Life. In the current climate any positive support for JKR is support. There is a bandwagon on which he has conspicuously refused to jump.

We can disagree, no need for you to come on being combative and looking for arguments.

We can disagree, no need for you to come on being combative and looking for arguments

Oh the irony of a woman being accused of being combtive and looking for arguments on the FWR board (as it was) because she disagrees with you!

Ugh just lost a post about abortion rights in US and UK and examples of whopping male privilege like this… but essentially Felton is a 35 year old man, who has lived in UK where Northern Ireland has only recently had any abortion rights and has lived in US where abortion rights have recently been struck down to State level by the Supreme Court, so he is talking nonsense. And posters requiring a hyphen for words to have their meaning, just no.

Lots of actors in the US are politically active and try to use their platform for good in the US and so in/from the UK- like Michael Sheen, Carey Mulligan, this group below, the list goes on.

www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/kate-beckinsale-claire-foy-jodie-whittaker-and-olivia-colman-call-theresa-may-change

I’m glad Felton hasn’t added to the witch hunt of JKR obviously, but really that’s the least that anyone could do. He’s really not any kind of feminist, based on this interview.

I'm not too bothered about the details of his beliefs. I do think that is a really ambivalent statement.

You can read it as 'still friends with JKR despite her views' or as 'still friends with emma despite her views'.

It lets you believe what you want to. Clever really. Certainly not overwhelmingly positive about JKR. Clearly that isn't good enough for the TRAs though.

We saw him by the coast in LA once. He sat behind us. He'd clearly gone for a quiet drink and was sat in a discrete place on his phone, so despite being a huge fan Dd (teen at the time) didn't say anything. It was obvious she had clocked him though.

After his drink he got up, smiled at here, have a big wave and did some skateboard trick thing as he went waving to her. Made her day. He was so lovely!

Who said he was a feminist, or should be?

People on this board are constantly being critical of people like Emma Watson for condemning and being dismissive of people like JKR who don't toe the line about issues they think are important.

Which is what you are doing to Felton here - even without clearly knowing what his view on abortion is, you are saying his views aren't worthy of respect because they don't seem to line up exactly with yours.

This tendency people like Watson have to demand leftist orthodoxy isn't something they came up with themselves.