A vocal defence
Ralph Fiennes has mounted a vocal defence of Harry Potter author JK Rowling, saying that the “abuse directed at her is disgusting”.
In an interview with the New York Times, Fiennes discussed his role as Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films and reportedly “bristled” at the controversy surrounding the writer. Fiennes said: “JK Rowling has written these great books about empowerment, about young children finding themselves as human beings. It’s about how you become a better, stronger, more morally centred human being. The verbal abuse directed at her is disgusting, it’s appalling.”
He added: “I mean, I can understand a viewpoint that might be angry at what she says about women. But it’s not some obscene, uber-right-wing fascist. It’s just a woman saying, ‘I’m a woman and I feel I’m a woman and I want to be able to say that I’m a woman.’ And I understand where she’s coming from. Even though I’m not a woman.”
I have to say, I can’t. I can’t understand a viewpoint that might be angry at what she says about women. I know what it is, but I can’t understand it. That’s the whole problem in a nutshell. No, I don’t understand how men can think it’s ok to pretend to be women and then try to bully all women into agreeing that the men are indeed women. I don’t understand how they can expect us to comply without a murmur, let alone agree that yes indeed they are women.
That’s not the point though, the point is hooray for Ralph Fiennes.
So, yet again, it’s the actor playing a baddie who turns out to be a good person in real life. Just like I said about Tom Felton, I suspect that it is the fact that they don’t let the role go to their heads, because it doesn’t come with the adulation which tends to be aimed at actors who play heroes.