Emma Watson says she still treasures J.K. Rowling despite trans-rights clash

Emma Watson says she still treasures J.K. Rowling despite their public clash over transgender rights, in remarks recorded for the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast. The Harry Potter actress, 35, who played Hermione Granger, has previously criticized Rowling and described tensions between the cast and author as frosty in recent years. She told the host that while she strongly supports trans rights, she can still hold space for the author who helped launch her career.

"I really don't believe that by having had that experience and holding the love and support and views that I have, mean that I can't and don't treasure Jo and the person that I had personal experiences with," Watson said. "I will never believe that one negates the other and that my experience of that person, I don't get to keep and cherish."

Rowling's public commentary since the Cass report into gender treatment in the UK has kept the conversation alive. The long-awaited Cass report recommended changes to the way young people are advised and suggested that puberty blockers should no longer be prescribed in many cases. Rowling criticized stars who use their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors and argued that people who support gender transitioning should apologise to detransitioners and to vulnerable women reliant on single-sex spaces. The author has been vocal in opposition to allowing children to change their gender, while Radcliffe and Watson have been outspoken in support of the trans community.

Watson also offered a window into her Hollywood experience, describing how the atmosphere on sets outside the Potter franchise could be difficult and how the 'family' feeling of her Potter years contrasted with what she found elsewhere. "I was coming to those sets with an expectation that we were going to be lifelong friends, and I was not of that mindset," she said, describing the harsher realities of late-stage Hollywood work culture. The star said she felt 'broken' at times and that the transition away from the Potter era was painful but ultimately instructive.

In discussing the practical consequences of fame in her personal life, Watson noted that she received a six-month driving ban in July after speeding at 38 mph in a 30 mph zone, and that she already had nine points on her license. The offense occurred in Oxford, and she explained that the penalty followed her decision to drive herself around as she became a student at Oxford University in 2023. She has since taken up cycling and described the experience as humbling, noting that outside the controlled environment of a film set, everyday tasks can feel challenging after years of professional guardianship.

Watson has not acted in a film since December 2018, when she completed Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Little Women. Having risen to fame at age 10 as Hermione Granger, she has since pursued a variety of projects and philanthropic interests, often discussing issues around representation, mental health, and the realities of life in the public eye. The interview adds to the broader conversation about the Potter universe and the complicated bonds among the stars who grew up under its glare.