Harry Potter fans are awaiting the highly anticipated play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, set to open in London’s West End on July 30. As the eighth installment of the HP franchise, the story follows the lives of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger nineteen years after Deathly Hallows.
However, some fans are still complaining that actors chosen to portray the Golden Trio in the play look nothing like they were described in the novels. Specifically, many have an issue with the casting of black actress Noma Dumezweni as Hermione, claiming that the books describe her character in a way that makes her exclusively white.
J.K. Rowling, however, is having none of this. In a recent interview with The Observer, the Harry Potter author says she is happy with the casting and insists that Hermione can very well be a black woman. Put simply, she says, “With my experience of social media, I thought that idiots were going to idiot.”
“I had a bunch of racists telling me that because Hermione ‘turned white’—that is, lost color from her face after a shock—that she must be a white woman, which I have a great deal of difficulty with,” Rowling admits. But she has decided not to let the criticism bother her, stating, “Hermione can be a black woman with my absolute blessing and enthusiasm.”
Affirming her support for Dumezweni, Rowling simply says, “Noma was chosen because she was the best actress for the job.”
Back in December, when the cast was first announced, Rowling defended Dumezweni’s casting as Hermione on Twitter: “Canon: Brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione.” Complete with a kissing emoji, it’s clear Rowling is all for black Hermione. What else will it take for critics to stop complaining?