Andrew Garfield Causes Stir With Harry Potter Comments, Shades J.K. Rowling

Andrew Garfield has long been a favorite fan casting for the young marauder, Remus Lupin, in the Harry Potter universe. Now he’s finally weighed in on the franchise, and his thoughts have caused a stir online.

While promoting The Magic Faraway Tree on the British radio show My Life In Movies on Hits Radio, Garfield, who earned an Oscar nomination for the musical Tick, Tick… Boom!, praised Daniel Radcliffe. Although the two British actors have never been costars, Garfield caught Radcliffe in Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway. “So good! I saw it in New York and it was so good,” Garfield said. “Daniel is so goddamn good.”

He continued to admit he only recently watched the Harry Potter films for the first time. “Actually, I hadn’t watched the Harry Potters until recently,” he said. “And he’s really good in those movies. Those Harry Potter movies are really good.”

Then the Spiderman actor acknowledged the complicated legacy surrounding the franchise today, specifically pointing to the controversial statements made by author J.K. Rowling regarding transgender people. Without naming Rowling, he addressed the controversy and the concept of appreciating the art and funding the artist’s platform.

“I know it’s controversial and like, we shouldn’t be putting money in the pocket of inhumane legislation right now throughout she that shall remain nameless,” Garfield said. “But the soul and the spirit of a lot of the essence of the themes of those films, and the kids are so… and all the artisans and the craft people.”

He added that his recent work with a makeup artist named Claire, who previously worked in the creature workshop on Harry Potter, increased his appreciation for the crew behind the films. “I’m just like, ‘Oh man, we can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.’ There are so many beautiful artists that worked on those films.”

Garfield’s comments came amid renewed scrutiny of Rowling following her response to a recent International Olympic Committee policy to limit female sports categories to biological females. Rowling referenced the policy in a post on X, reiterating her criticism of the Paris 2024 Olympics and sharing a photo of the Algerian boxer and gold medalist, Imane Khelif, who is not transgender and has always competed in women’s events.

Related: Tom Holland Sets Off Internet Scavenger Hunt for ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Trailer