Pedro Pascal blasted author J.K. Rowling for her latest trans tweets, calling the author a “heinous loser” in a comment on Instagram.
The Last of Us star was responding to a post by activist Tariq Ra’ouf, who criticized the author for celebrating the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom’s landmark ruling last week that trans women should not be recognized as women and that “sex” should legally mean biological sex.
Rowling had posted, “I love it when a plan comes together,” along with noting to a critic, “I get the same royalties whether you read [my books] or burn them. Enjoy your marshmallows!”
Wrote Pascal in the comment section of Ra’ouf’s post: “Awful disgusting SHIT is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior.”
Ra’ouf’s post also called for a boycott of HBO‘s Harry Potter TV reboot, urging his followers to “make sure that every single thing that’s Harry Potter-related fails. That means posting in every single Harry Potter TV show update that comes out, in every single article, posting in the comments that ‘trans rights are human rights,’ that ‘trans women are women.’ It means not buying a ticket to Universal [Orlando] to go and see [The Wizarding World of Harry Potter World].”
Pascal’s comment on the post is being seen as co-signing the anti-Harry Potter show sentiment, though he did not mention Harry Potter himself. HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot series will adapt all seven Potter novels into separate TV seasons. The lead director on the project is Mark Mylod, who also helmed Sunday’s game-changing episode of The Last of Us, which marked a major twist for Pascal’s character Joel.
HBO chief Casey Bloys has previously dismissed concerns about a boycott, pointing to the phenomenal success of Hogwarts Legacy videogame, which also faced boycott calls over Rowling’s trans views, and went on to become the biggest selling game of 2023.
Pascal has long been a supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community. His sister, Lux Pascal, came out as a trans woman in 2021. The photo above was taken on the red carpet for the UK premiere of the Marvel film Thunderbolts with Pascal wearing a “Protect the Dolls” T-shirt — the phrase signifies solidarity and support for trans women.
Added Ra’ouf: “[Rowling is] just so proud of all the work that she’s been doing over the last few years to stoke hatred and fear into the general public about a very small minority population that’s already some of the most misunderstood people on Earth.”
According to Reuters, the UK ruled that “single-sex services for women, such as refuges, hospital wards and sports, could exclude trans women, clearing up legal ambiguity” and the court emphasized that all trans people are still afforded protection against discrimination or harassment.
The Hollywood Reporter recently weighed in on HBO’s Harry Potter reboot and its challenges — including how Rowling’s views might impact the show — in the essay “HBO’s Harry Potter Reboot Faces Three Big Questions.”