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24 Apr 2025 17:11
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Nick Frost has disabled comments on his Instagram post about his role in the 'Harry Potter' TV series after the J.K. Rowling fallout

    The 53-year-old actor will star as Rubeus Hagrid - who was played by the late great Robbie Coltrane - in the big-budget small-screen adaptation of the blockbuster wizarding franchise


    He shared to the social media site: "You're a wizard, Harry!!! Thank you for trusting me with such a loyal, gentle and courageous half-giant like Rubeus Hagrid.

    "Robbie, I promise I won't let you down."

    However, the backlash against the author of the money-spinning franchise regarding her controversial views on gender and transgender rights led to Frost being inundated with negative comments under the post, and he has since hit the disable comment to stop them being displayed.

    However, that hasn't stopped angry fans commenting on his other posts.

    One wrote: "The fact you've turned comments off on the previous post shows you know exactly why taking that role is a poor decision. You've lost the respect of millions, and I'm so disappointed in one of my favourite actors of all time. I thought you were better than this."

    Veteran actor John Lithgow, 78, will play Albus Dumbledore.

    Janet McTeer, 62, has been cast as Minerva McGonagall and Paapa Essiedu, 34, will play Severus Snape.

    The recurring cast also includes Luke Thallon, 29, as Quirinus Quirrell, known for 'Present Laughter' (2019) and 'A Room with a View' (2023), as well as Paul Whitehouse, 66, as Argus Filch.

    Director Mark Mylod, 59, will helm several episodes and serve as ex ecutive producer.

    He said: "We're delighted to have such extraordinary talent onboard, and we can't wait to see them bring these beloved characters to new life."

    The premiere date of the series is yet to be announced.

    Several original 'Harry Potter' stars have separated themselves from Rowling's hateful comments.

    Lead star Daniel Radcliffe said he had been left "really sad" by the writer's disparaging comments about the trans community.

    The 59-year-old author has frequently made headlines for her stance that sex is rooted in biology and women's spaces should be protected, with critics positioning her as "anti-trans", and the 34-year-old actor - who shot to fame playing Harry Potter in the movie adaptations of her beloved children's books - still doesn't really understand her stance.

    He told The Atlantic: "It makes me really sad, ultimately, because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic."

    Daniel acknowledged the author - who has hasn't spoken to directly since the row began - had played a key role in the path his life has taken, but insisted that doesn't mean he "owes" his beliefs to her.

    He said: "Jo, obviously Harry Potter would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person. But that doesn't mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life."

    When one fan previously said they were "just waiting for Dan and Emma [Watson, Hermione Granger] to offer a "very public apology" knowing they'd be safe in the knowledge the author would forgive them, she wrote: "Not safe I'm afraid. Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women's hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces,"

    In response, Daniel said: "I will continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people, and have no further comment than that."

    The 'Kill Your Darlings' actor has long been a supporter of the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ suicide-prevention hotline and crisis-intervention resource, and he felt he had to speak out against Rowling in the wake of her initial tweets in 2020 when she questioned the use of the phrase "people who menstruate" in place of "women".

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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