Emma Watson still has love and gratitude for J.K. Rowling.
The “Harry Potter” star, 35, sat down for a rare interview on the “On Purpose with Jay Shetty” podcast, released on Sept. 24, where she discussed her relationship with the controversial author.
Rowling has become a divisive figure in recent years due to her anti-trans views, while Watson has shared support for the transgender community.
“I really don’t believe that by having had that experience and holding the love and support and views that I have mean that I can’t and don’t treasure Jo and the person that I had personal experiences with,” she said. “I will never believe that one negates the other, and that my experience of that person, I don’t get to keep and cherish.”
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Emma Watson attends the Soho House Awards at DUMBO House on Sept. 7, 2023 in New York City.
“I hope people who don’t agree with my opinion will love me, and I hope I can keep loving people who I don’t necessarily share the same opinion with,” Watson also said. “That’s a very, very important way for me that I need to be able to move through life.”
The “Beauty and the Beast” star went on to say that she is against the “throwing out of people” and remains grateful to Rowling for the opportunity to play Hermione Granger in the “Harry Potter” film series from 2001 to 2011.
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“There is just no world in which I could ever cancel her out, or cancel that out,” she said, adding, “I can love her, I can know she loved me, I can be grateful to her. … What she’s done will never be taken away from me.”
In 2020, Watson and her “Harry Potter” costars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint all spoke out in support of the trans community in reaction to anti-trans comments made by Rowling. “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are,” Watson said on social media at the time.
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J.K. Rowling attends the “Fantastic Beasts: The Secret of Dumbledore” premiere on March 29, 2022, in London, England.
Earlier this year, Rowling implied on social media that she is angry with Watson, Radcliffe and Grint for what they have said against her views.
In reply to a user on X who asked “what actor/actress instantly ruins a movie for you,” the author wrote, “Three guesses,” seemingly alluding to the “Harry Potter” trio. In 2024, Rowling also responded to a follower who said they were “waiting for Dan and Emma to give you a very public apology … safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them.”
“Not safe, I’m afraid,” Rowling wrote back.
Rowling is serving as a producer on an upcoming “Harry Potter” HBO series that will re-adapt the original books with new, younger actors taking over the roles played by Watson, Radcliffe and Grint in the films.
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Emma Watson gets emotional about ‘painful’ experience trying to make friends in Hollywood
Elsewhere in the podcast, Watson discussed her decision to step away from acting after not appearing in a film since 2019’s “Little Women.” She said one reason was that she was hurt after going into film projects wanting to make friends on set like she did on “Harry Potter.”
“I was coming to those sets with an expectation that I think I had developed on ‘Harry Potter,’ which was that the people I worked with were going to be my family, and that we were going to be lifelong friends,” she said. “I came to work looking for friendship, and that was a very painful experience for me outside of ‘Harry Potter’ and in Hollywood. Like, bone-breakingly painful, because most people don’t come to those environments looking for friendships.”
The “Perks of Being a Wallflower” actress said it was difficult to face rejection while trying to form friendships on movies other than “Harry Potter,” and she choked up as she shared, “It broke me.” She noted that although actors promoting movies tend to act as if they are friends, this is usually not the case.
“The truth is, no one has seen each other outside of work,” she said.
Despite not having starred in a film in almost six years, Watson clarified she has not retired from acting permanently. “I’ll never say that I quit acting,” she said. “I’ll always be an actor. I’m still open to doing it again.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Emma Watson reveals how she feels about J.K. Rowling after controversy
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