While many Harry Potter cast members chose to speak out against author and creator J.K. Rowling when she initially came under fire for making "anti-trans" comments on social media, the list of actors defending her continues to grow.
Joining Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), Jim Broadbent (Professor Slughorn), and Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) is the legendary John Cleese. The often controversial screen icon recently took to social media to criticise those who have attempted to shout Rowling down.
"If I do not agree with some of the Transgender arguments, this apparently makes me transphobic," he pondered. "So...if they do not agree with some of my opinions, does that make them Cleesephobic? Or does the hatred only flow in one direction?"
Cleese played Nearly Headless Nick in the first two Harry Potter movies, but is perhaps best known as the co-founder of Monty Python.
While Rowling doesn't always choose her words in an overly delicate fashion, much of what she's said in recent years could be perceived as being valid concerns when you look beyond the way she's delivered them. However, she instead finds herself being shouted down by very vocal detractors, some of whom have issued death threats.
Those quick to deem anyone who says anything positive about Rowling as being "anti-trans" embarked on a mission to target people who dared buy Hogwarts Legacy earlier this year. It backfired, though, as it became Warner Bros. Games' biggest-selling title quickly after launching.
There have been similar threats aimed at Max's planned small screen Harry Potter reboot, though the streamer doesn't appear to be paying those any mind.
You can take a look at Cleese's take on the matter in the Tweet below.
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