Tom Felton, the 37-year-old British actor, addressed the controversies surrounding Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling's anti-trans rhetoric ahead of reprising his role as Draco Malfoy in Broadway's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Felton, who played Draco in all eight installments of the original Harry Potter film series, spoke candidly with Variety on the red carpet at the 2025 Tony Awards on Sunday, June 8. When asked if the controversy around the author's views affect his work, Felton said, "No, I can't say it does. I'm not really that attuned."

"The only thing I always remind myself is that I've been lucky enough to travel the world. Here I am in New York," Felton continued. "And I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter, and she's responsible for that. So I'm incredibly grateful."

Felton, who is set to make his Broadway debut in the play at the Lyric Theatre in New York City, expressed his gratitude towards the Harry Potter franchise for bringing people together. His limited run will start on November 11 for 19 weeks.

The actor continued to gush about the Harry Potter fandom when asked about returning to his iconic role. "I think we all thought the wizarding world would slowly... that the fandom flame might douse over the years, but clearly it's not," he told Variety.

Comparing the play to the movie process, Felton added, "I think the most exciting part is to do it live. It took nine months, more or less, to shoot a film. And this is all compact. This is all reimagined into a very lovely new, tight story. And I get to be a dad, which has been fun."

Rollicking controversy has surrounded Rowling, 59, since June 2020 when she appeared to support anti-transgender sentiments in a series of tweets. She has since made repeated comments about the transgender community. Multiple actors from the Harry Potter film series, including Daniel Radcliffe, have spoken out against the author over the years.

In April 2024, Radcliffe, who played the titular character, said that he and the author had not been in touch recently. However, he told The Atlantic that her comments have made him feel "really sad."

Felton, who received support from Radcliffe for his upcoming role, expressed his excitement to be part of the Broadway community, saying, "My old school chum, Potter, [Daniel] Radcliffe, has done quite a bit of Broadway, so he's holding my hand and certainly helping me through all the things that are hard to learn."

For more Tony Awards coverage, check out Tony Awards 2025: See the List of Winners (Live Updates), See the Best Dressed Stars on the 2025 Tony Awards Red Carpet, and George Clooney Returns to His Silver Fox Era for 2025 Tony Awards with Wife Amal.

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