Evanna Lynch is best known for playing fan-favourite character Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter movies and she's now become the latest cast member to defend author J.K. Rowling.
The writer continues to face accusations of transphobia, and after previously attempting to speak kindly of Rowling, Lynch found herself harassed and bullied off social media. Talking to The Telegraph, the actress elaborated on her past comments and joined the likes of Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter by sharing support for the Harry Potter creator.
"I was very naive when I was dragged into that conversation," Lynch initially said of her 2020 Tweets. "I didn’t even know there were two sides. I had a view of, like, good and bad. I do have compassion for both sides of the argument."
"I know what it was like to be a teenager who hated my body so much I wanted to crawl out of my skin, so I have great compassion for trans people and I don’t want to add to their pain. I do also think it’s important that JK Rowling has been amplifying the voices of de-transitioners."
"I had this impulse to go, ‘Let’s all just stop talking about it’, and I think probably I’m a bit braver now about having uncomfortable conversations," she continued, adding: "I just felt that her character has always been to advocate for the most vulnerable members of society. The problem is that there’s a disagreement over who’s the most vulnerable."
"I do wish people would just give her more grace and listen to her."
While Rowling doesn't always choose her words in a particularly delicate fashion, much of what she's said in recent years could be perceived as being valid concerns. However, she instead finds herself being shouted down by very vocal detractors.
Those quick to deem anyone who says anything positive about Rowling as being "anti-trans" recently embarked on a mission to target people who dared buy Hogwarts Legacy. It backfired, though, as it became Warner Bros. Games' biggest-selling title quickly after launching.
Lynch has a history with Rowling beyond the Harry Potter movies. Battling anorexia at 11, she wrote to the author about her recovery and received "incredible, wise letters" while in recovery.
Warner Bros. has yet to address the franchise's big (or small) screen future.