British actor Ralph Fiennes, who played Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter movie saga, defended the author of the series of books JK Rowling, calling insults and death threats against the writer terrible and disgusting.
“J.K. Rowling has written wonderful books about self-empowerment, about how young children are shaped as individuals,” Fiennes said in an interview with the New York Times. “It’s about how to become a better, stronger, more morally oriented person. Verbal abuse directed at her is disgusting, it’s terrible.”
“I mean, I can understand a point of view that may not be in tune with what she says about women,” he continued. “But it’s not some obscene far-right fascist. It’s just a woman saying, “I’m a woman and I feel like I’m a woman and I want to be able to say I’m a woman.” And I understand where she gets such thoughts from. Even though I’m not a woman.
Rowling has been subjected to numerous death threats as well as insults after speaking out on topics such as women’s rights and freedom of speech. Last November, she tweeted: “I got so many death threats I could have them all over my house and I didn’t stop speaking out.” Police in Scotland launched an investigation last year after activists tweeted a photograph of them holding signs outside the Rowling family’s home that clearly showed her address. No charges were brought.
