Trans Ally Daniel Radcliffe Might Not Watch New Harry Potter: “Eight Hours Is a Lot”

The world’s most famous portrayer of Harry Potter might not even tune into the forthcoming HBO reboot. Speaking to the Associated Press on Sunday at the premiere of Netflix’s Steps at New York’s Plaza hotel, Daniel Radcliffe said he might be too busy to consume eight hours of television, even if it’s to watch his successor, Dominic McLaughlin, in the role.“I don’t know if I will, honestly,” he said when asked whether he would watch it. “I’ve watched [and] been in a lot of Harry Potter already and also not even because I don’t like… I haven’t seen any TV. I haven’t seen Breaking Bad, I haven’t seen Mad Men, I haven’t seen some of the real classics. You know, eight hours is a lot of anything to watch.” See on Instagram The new HBO series, which will divide J.K. Rowling’s first book across eight episodes in its inaugural season, will premiere on December 25. Given the author’s anti-transgender views and advocacy, and her role as executive producer on the reboot, many stars of the series have spoken directly about their decision to join the production, with some saying that Rowling’s politics did not impact their choice and others voicing disagreement despite signing on.“I think that the trans community deserve safety and dignity and respect and total acceptance,” Bel Powley, who is slated to play Petunia Dursley, told The Telegraph in August after her casting was announced.A noted LGBTQ+ ally, Radcliffe publicly distanced himself from Rowling’s views — even ahead of the release of her June 2020 online essay, when she was primarily posting tweets critical of trans people and causes. In a letter published with The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ youth and suicide prevention nonprofit, Radcliffe wrote, “Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject