Rupert Grint likens J.K. Rowling to an aunt: ‘I don’t agree with everything my auntie says’

Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint wrote about his relationship with J.K. Rowling in a new op-ed published this weekend.

Grint, who played Ron Weasley in all eight Harry Potter films and appeared in the recent 20th anniversary reunion special on HBO Max, likened the creator of the wizarding world to an aunt.

“I don’t necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but she’s still my auntie,” Grint wrote in a piece for The Times‘ “What I’ve Learnt” series. “It’s a tricky one.”

Rowling continues to come under fire for the statements on trans people she’s made over the years. The writer, who continues to pen the screenplays for the Fantastic Beasts movies, has voiced her support for the trans community, but at the same time spreads ideology that prominent LGBTQ organizations and advocates condemn as anti-trans.

Grint was among the many Harry Potter franchise stars who spoke out in support of the trans community in light of the controversy.

J.K. Rowling and Rupert Grint. Dave Hogan/Getty Images

“I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers,” Grint had said in a statement given to The Times in 2020. “Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment.”

The actor later spoke with Esquire in 2021 about his decision to publicly address the matter. “Sometimes silence is even louder. I felt like I had to because I think it was important to,” he said. “I mean, I don’t want to talk about all that… Generally, I’m not an authority on the subject. Just out of kindness, and just respecting people. I think it’s a valuable group that I think needs standing up for.”

Grint reunited with Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson for Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, the HBO Max special timed to the two-decade anniversary of the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone film.

Rowling only appeared via archival footage shot in 2019. She had been offered to participate in a new interview, but her team felt the previously filmed interview was more than adequate, EW had reported.