Actor Ralph Fiennes, who famously portrayed the evil wizard Voldermort in the Harry Potter film series, has spoken up to defend author J.K. Rowling over people coming at her for her comments about transgender people.

Speaking to The New York Times, Fiennes said the verbal abuse that she is facing is “appalling.” Fiennes acknowledged that he understands why people are angry, but believes Rowling doesn’t deserve the level of verbal abuse she is receiving.

“J.K. Rowling has written these great books about empowerment, about young children finding themselves as human beings. It’s about how you become a better, stronger, more morally centered human being,” he said. “The verbal abuse directed at her is disgusting, it’s appalling. I mean, I can understand a viewpoint that might be angry at what she says about women. But it’s not some obscene, über-right-wing fascist. It’s just a woman saying, ‘I’m a woman and I feel I’m a woman and I want to be able to say that I’m a woman.’ And I understand where she’s coming from. Even though I’m not a woman.”

Before this, Fiennes said in 2021 that he can relate to the “heat of an argument.” However, he defended Rowling then just as he’s doing now.

“I find this age of accusation and the need to condemn irrational. I find the level of hatred that people express about views that differ from theirs, and the violence of language towards others, disturbing,” Fiennes said previously.

Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint have all made statements in support of the trans community.

Rowling has time and again defended her own thoughts and positions. Just recently, she was asked how she sleeps at night knowing that her comments are tarnishing Harry Potter’s legacy in some people’s eyes. She responded, “I read my most recent royalty cheques and find the pain goes away pretty quickly.”

The latest Wizarding World movie was 2022’s Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, which earned $400 million worldwide, making it the worst-performing of the three films. Lead character Grindelwald, originally played by Johnny Depp, was recast with Mads Mikkelsen amid Depp’s legal issues.

On the video game side, the open-world game Hogwarts Legacy releases in February 2023. WB Games stated that Rowling is not directly involved with the game, and that the story is not based on any new work from Rowling.

If you’d like to know more, read about why Rowling’s statements have been hurtful to the trans community.