Keira Knightley has said she was not aware of demands to boycott JK Rowling before joining the cast of the new full-cast audiobook versions of the Harry Potter series. The actor will voice Dolores Umbridge in the recordings, which also feature Hugh Laurie as Albus Dumbledore and Riz Ahmed as Severus Snape.
Speaking to Decider, Knightley said: 'I was not aware of that, no. 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.' She expressed hope that 'we can all find respect' amid the renewed controversy over Rowling’s views on transgender rights.
Calls to boycott Rowling’s work have increased following her reaction to the UK Supreme Court’s ruling on the legal definition of a woman, in which she posted a photograph of herself smoking a cigar. Rowling subsequently said she did not want actor Paapa Essiedu removed from the forthcoming Harry Potter TV show after he signed an open letter protesting against the ruling.
Rowling also recently criticised Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the film series, over the ongoing rift concerning trans rights, stating that Watson is 'ignorant of how ignorant she is'.
