Back on New Year’s Day this year, HBO Max aired the “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts” special.
The one-off served as a reunion of the film franchise’s stars twenty years after the first film premiered in cinemas back in 2001 with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson joined by the likes of Gary Oldman, Robbie Coltrane, Matthew Lewis, Ralph Fiennes and many more.
One notable absentee though was “Harry Potter” author herself J.K. Rowling, who has become a controversial figure in recent years for her views and has now finally broken her silence on why she didn’t appear.
Speaking with Graham Norton during an appearance on his Virgin Radio UK show, she made it clear it was her choice and she was not excluded from the reunion:
“I was asked to be on that and I decided I didn’t want to do it. I thought it was about the films more than the book, quite rightly, that was what the anniversary was about. No one said don’t [do it]… I was asked to do it and I decided not to.”
Several of the film’s stars have opposed Rowling’s views and made public statements against them, but Rowling has not backed down on her stance. The special itself is available to stream on HBO Max.
Source: Virgin UK via The Rowling Library
