Keira Knightley has acknowledged the backlash she is receiving over doing the upcoming Harry Potter audiobooks. Her response, however, has not won over her critics.
As Variety reported, a seven-part audiobook series is being created that will be titled Harry Potter: The Full Cast Audio Editions. Knightley will take on the character of Professor Umbridge in the project.
The project emerges as a backlash against Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling for her numerous statements about transgender people seems to be at an all-time high. Decider asked Knightley if she was "aware that some fans are calling for a Harry Potter boycott" over Rowling's views.
Knightley replied, "I was not aware of that, no. I'm very sorry."
She added, "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?"
"We've all got very different opinions. I hope that we can all find respect," Knightley continued.
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Knightley's response immediately sparked a big reaction online.
On Reddit, one person wrote, "Yeah... that's a privileged take on Keira's part."
"Seriously, what a patronizing thing for her to say," another Redditor commented.
"This is a prepared answer, for sure. Absolutely no way her PR team hasn't given her a full rundown. She knows and she chose the $ anyway," another critic shared. They continued, "Also, it's really easy to say 'we need to figure out how we can all live together' when a difference is around where to eat, not whether or not a group of people should exist or not."
On X, another critic tweeted, "And with that, I've lost respect for Knightley. We don't have to learn to respect bigots - of any flavour. Bigotry isn't a difference of opinion, [nor] must it be accepted."
"Oh absolutely not. We don't need to learn to respect bigots of any kind. This is such a cowardly both sides statement," an additional tweet read.
As Glamour detailed, the controversy surrounding Rowling began in June 2020 after she took to X, formerly Twitter, to share her critical views on transgender women.
As the backlash built, Rowling shared on her website, "I refuse to bow down to a movement that I believe is doing demonstrable harm in seeking to erode 'women' as a political and biological class and offering cover to predators."
Rowling's views on transgender women have not shifted since those early tweets. Rather, the Harry Potter writer has become increasingly defensive of her position. In April, she celebrated a decision from the U.K. Supreme Court that, according to NPR, specifically excludes trans women from "sex-based protections that are covered by a 2010 U.K. law called the Equality Act."
The first of the seven projects, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, will debut on November 4. Subsequent releases will come monthly, with the final one, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, scheduled to be released on May 12, 2026.
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