‘Heartstopper’ star responds to backlash over ‘Harry Potter’ casting

Heartstopper star Sebastian Croft has addressed his role in the controversial Harry Potter game Hogwarts Legacy.

It was announced last week that Croft would be voicing one of the two playable characters in Hogwarts Legacy, an action role-playing game published by Warner Bros. under its Portkey Games label, alongside Amelia Gething. Simon Pegg was confirmed to play Hogwarts’ headteacher.

However, many fans are threatening to boycott the release due to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s history of alleged transphobia. 

Taking to Twitter, Croft (who plays Ben Hope in the Netflix show) explained: “I was cast in this project over 3 years ago, back when all Harry Potter was to me, was the magical world I grew up with. This was long before I was aware of JK Rowling’s views.”

“I believe wholeheartedly that trans women are women and trans men are men,” he continued.

“I know far more now than I did 3 years ago, and hope to learn far more in the next 3. I’m really sorry to anyone hurt by this announcement. There is no LGB without the T.”

I know far more now than I did 3 years ago, and hope to learn far more in the next 3. I’m really sorry to anyone hurt by this announcement.
There is no LGB without the T

— Sebastian Croft (@SebastianCroft) January 14, 2023

According to the FAQs, Hogwarts Legacy has not been written by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, though it does stay true to her “original vision”.

The president of Warner Bros. Games went on to say: “While J.K. Rowling is the creator of Harry Potter, and we are bringing that world to life with the power of Portkey, in many places, she’s a private citizen also. And that means she’s entitled to express her personal opinion on social media. I may not agree with her, and I might not agree with her stance on a range of topics, but I can agree she has the right to hold her opinions.”

The lead actors of Harry Potter (Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson) are amongst those that have also condemned her views.

The controversial Harry Potter game is set to launch February 10 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. A Playstation 4 and Xbox One version will follow on April 4, while Nintendo Switch players have to wait until July 25.

Meanwhile, two more seasons of Heartstopper have been confirmed by Netflix, with production already underway. However a release date is yet to be confirmed.