Keira Knightley Reacts to J.K. Rowling Boycott After Joining Harry Potter Project

Keira Knightley was asked about signing onto an upcoming Harry Potter project during a recent publicity stop.

The actress was promoting her new Netflix thriller The Woman in Cabin 10 when she was questioned about playing a role in the lavish new audiobook productions of the Harry Potter novels, Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions.

The production has cast more than 200 actors to play roles in the new adaptation of J.K. Rowlings’ beloved best-sellers, with Knightley playing the villainous Ministry of Magic authoritarian Dolores Umbridge.

Decider asked the British actress if she was aware that “some fans are calling for a boycott” given Rowling’s trans views.

“I was not aware of that, no,” she said. “I’m very sorry. You know, I think we’re all living in a period of time right now where we’re all going to have to figure out how to live together, aren’t we? And we’ve all got very different opinions. I hope that we can all find respect.”

The Woman in Cabin 10 filmmaker Simon Stone was in the interview with Knightley and weighed in as well.

“I think that’s right,” Stone said. “I think that we have learned over time, unfortunately, that the unbearable voice in the room is something … I think everyone needs to recognize that they’re the unbearable voice for someone else, as well. The live and let live thing of like, ‘Oh God, your voice is really loud, and I can’t stand you.’ That’s part of our lives.”

He continued: “We all have hatred, deep hatred for someone in the universe — someone in the class. Let’s reduce it to classroom politics. There is always the kid that we cannot stand. I think we’d all agree that we’re that kid for someone else, too. Unfortunately, all sides of the political spectrum are currently trying to shut that kid’s voice down, but they don’t realize the irony of the fact that they’re also that kid for someone else. If we can have all have a moratorium on that, and just let chaos live for a little bit, we might find our way out.”

While Rowling’s views continue to be a topic of debate online, the Harry Potter universe has not shown any sign of being impacted by the controversy. The 2023 Hogwarts Legacy game was a massive best-seller and anticipation for HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV series is quite high. Rowling’s recent clapback on Harry Potter film star Emma Watson’s apparent attempt to extend an olive branch to the author drew praise in some conservative quarters, condemnation in others, after Rowling wrote that Watson “has so little experience of real life she’s ignorant of how ignorant she is.”

The Woman in Cabin 10 is based on a novel by Ruth Ware and follows “a journalist (Knightley) on a luxury yacht who witnesses a passenger thrown overboard late at night, only to be told that it didn’t happen, as all passengers and crew are accounted for. Despite no one believing her, she continues to look for answers, putting her own life in danger.” The film is currently streaming on Netflix.