Bel Powley, cast as Petunia Dursley in HBO's forthcoming Harry Potter series, has publicly separated herself from J.K. Rowling's position on gender. In an interview published Monday in The Telegraph, she said: "I strongly disagree with J.K. Rowling's views on gender. I think that the trans community deserve safety, dignity and respect and total acceptance."
She was careful to keep the work itself separate. "I love Harry Potter," Powley added. "I grew up with the books. I am from that first generation of readers and, again, I love magic and spookiness."
She joins Nick Frost, who plays Hagrid in the same production, in taking a public position. Frost told The Observer: "She's allowed her opinion and I'm allowed mine, they just don't align in any way, shape or form." Rowling, who remains closely involved with the series, has been in sustained conflict with cast members across both the original films and this new adaptation. She called Emma Watson "ignorant" in 2025 after Watson addressed trans issues, and criticized Glamour U.K. for featuring trans women in its pages.
The HBO series premieres this Christmas. With Rowling present throughout the production, the question of how cast members navigate her views has become a defining subplot of this project's rollout. Powley's answer is now on the record.
