J.K. Rowling calls her Harry Potter fans "racists" if they can't accept Hermoine as a black woman

[davidn3600]

J.K. Rowling has given her “absolute blessing” to a black actress playing Hermione in London stage production “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” and slammed those who criticized the casting in a new interview.

The “Harry Potter” author praised Olivier-winning British thesp Noma Dumezweni as the “best actress for the job,” and said her prior experience with social media led her to believe that “idiots were going to idiot” over the casting.

“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,” she told the Observer in an article published this weekend. “But I decided not to get too agitated about it and simply state quite firmly that Hermione can be a black woman with my absolute blessing and enthusiasm.”

When the casting was first announced last year, Rowling affirmed that she never defined Hermione’s race in the books, and said she “loved” the idea of a non-white actress filling the scholarly character’s shoes. Emma Watson played Hermione in the eight Harry Potter films from 2001 to 2011.

In the same article, director John Tiffany says he was “shocked (that) people couldn’t visualise a non-white person as the hero of a story.”

The two-part production “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” begins previewing at the London’s Palace Theatre on Tuesday.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/j-k-rowling-slams-bunch-racists-attacking-black-175439841.html

[KamaAina]

1. A not-so-subtle anti-racism message runs throughout the series

The Slytherin bad guys are constantly calling people "mudbloods".

[TexasProgresive]

2. Bushy hair and brown eyes, Hermione could be white, African descent or mixed.

Get over it people. Rowlings even had interracial dating in the series. Angelina Johnson went to the Yule ball with Fred Weasley who died in battle. Some say she and twin brother George married.

[MosheFeingold]

4. Hermione is Jewish

Or so Rawlings said in the past. Of course, there are plenty of black Jewish people.

Rawlings backed off the Jewish angle in the books because it was considered "political" in England (read: it's OK to be quietly antisemitic in polite English company, provided you are coy about it), but she put in a number of stereotypical English Jewish concepts, so much so she decided that it was a racist stereotype and never made the positive ID, to wit:

1. Unruly curly hair/brown eyes
2. Auburn hair
3. Nerdy, overly studious know-it-all
4. Parents dentists (the big clue in England --- apparently that's a "Jewish profession" in England)
5. Family goes on skiing vacation during Christmas break and ignores various Christian holidays
6. Plain as a kid, pretty as an adult
7. Newly-risen-to-the-middle-class speech mannerisms, the strong social conscience,
8. Left-leaning political tendencies
9. Faced oppression for her "blood"

(Note, this is not my list, but various of the the stereotypical factors cited.)

http://www.jewornotjew.com/profile.jsp?ID=1037

[five_horizons]

45. And Ginny Weasley dated Dean Thomas, who is black.

Ginny also dated Michael Corner, who might be black. Herminone refers to Corner as "the dark one" when Ron asks who he is. Then again, she could have been referring to his hair color or personality.

Yes, I'm a geek.

[TexasProgresive]

46. I love H.P. and The Hobbit and LOTRs Does that make us kin?

[five_horizons]

60. Geeky cousins at the very least

[HuckleB]

3. Rowling doesn't pull punches. I thought everyone liked that when a dead black man did it.

Last edited Mon Jun 6, 2016, 07:07 PM - Edit history (1)

Hmmmmm.

[Orrex]

37. Yeah, but Ali's characterization of Dumbledore fell apart in the later books.

[sakabatou]

5. Part of it might stem from the artwork from the books and the movies

But yes, there may be some racism involved.

[HuckleB]

7. Or, more likely, it's simply based in racism.

And the people complaining didn't understand the books at all.

[7962]

6. Wasnt she white in all the previous movies? If so, the she's white.

Or she could write in some "magic" and change her to a black female, Asian or whatever
Otherwise, its a publicity stunt talking about it

[HuckleB]

10. No, it's fiction, and fantasy, to boot.

There are no rules about race never changing in productions.

Sheesh.

[retrowire]

12. Exactly, stories can be retold with different colors. The story is still the same. nt

[heaven05]

58. I seem to remember

racist grumblings about the main character, ex storm trooper, now resistance fighter, who happened to have brown skin. THE WHITE RIGHT racist, of which there are many, are a total drag on progressivness and forward movement toward a nonracist, nonbigoted society. With their new hitler clown leading the racist pack of drooling, ravenous for human life animals, I expect all black male leading men to be, if their hitler is elected POTUS, relegated to the cotton fiels singing about their happiness when picking cotton for 'massa'.

[7962]

20. But wasnt Harry Potter a continuing story?

It just doesnt make any sense to change the character after 3 or 4 movies. It would be just like next season Big Bang Theory comes back on and Sheldon is Asian. No,you dont just change it, its stupid. But even so, with Potter, it would still be easy, just use the magic!
She should have just cast her that way originally. Casting calls ALWAYS call for age/race/hair color/body type/etc.
Its not racist, its entertainment

[csziggy]

22. The casting change is for a stage production, not another movie

In the series. So there is not continuity problem - it is an entire different venue.

[7962]

36. I guess its not unusual for stage productions to differ from movie ones

I have heard of variations in the past
I know little about Harry Potter, except for the hilarious SNL skit with Lindsey Lohan as Hermoine.
But if I was a fan I'd probably wee the stage adaptation as well, if it were possible

[csziggy]

41. Think of the difference between "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Wiz"

And then it's like complaining that The Wiz has no white people. It's a different show, different production, different cast.

The movies were an adaptation of the books - while the books left out some of the visual details and left those up to the readers the movies had to supply that information given the nature of the medium.

A stage play is an entirely different adaption with different challenges. Neither a movie or a stage play can be identical to the books or match every detail that millions of readers have seen in their own minds.

Personally I prefer books because I can create a form of the author's reality in my mind. Audio books, movies, stage plays, comics - none of those allow the same flexibility as the written word. They are different worlds unto themselves and don't allow the same leeway for personal enjoyment - at least for me.

[7962]

43. Well done! Thank you

[NYC Liberal]

28. She's not white in the books.

Her race is never specified. She was described as having "bushy brown hair" though.

[TexasProgresive]

47. The characters in the movies aren't particularly true to their descriptions in the books

Harry Potter, for example, had wild hair that wouldn't stay tidy. He looked just like his father, except for his eyes which were his mothers, green. In the movies Daniel Radcliff had fairly neat hair and his eyes were blue. Hermione Granger had over large front teeth until Draco jinxed her. Percy Weasley wore horn rimmed glasses but not in the movies. Luna had dishwater blond hair and protuberant eyes, but not in the movies. It just goes on and on.

[Lizzie Poppet]

52. Movies don't define canon in a book series.

The books are pretty ambiguous about Hermione's race.

[brettdale]

8. On two of the original book covers

Hermione is White.

[HuckleB]

9. So what?

It's fiction. Hell, it's fantasy fiction!

[retrowire]

13. You might be surprised to learn that JK Rowling did not make that artwork.

She approved of it, just like she approved of the movies, just like she's approving of this play.

It's her intellectual property in the end and she can have it portrayed anyway she likes.

[HuckleB]

19. And it's just artwork for a book.

It doesn't mean the fictional character can't be changed in the future.

[TexasProgresive]

48. Cover art is often more fiction than fiction.

Besides that, what does it matter Harry Potter is translated into nearly 70 different languages. If this play was mounted in Fuji would they have to import English actors to cast it?

[dembotoz]

11. She wrote the damn book

What she says goes
Not a tuffy

[Orrex]

39. That's a bigger question than you might have intended.

She wrote the damn book. What she says goes. Not a tuffy.

A strong argument can be made that if it ain't in the book then it ain't in the book, and in fact much literary criticism explores exactly this concept. That is, if an author offers a post hoc clarification that isn't part of the original text, then it isn't part of the original text, full stop. Instead, it's part of the-original-text-plus-clarification, or perhaps original-text-2.0.

So, yes, of course Rowlings wrote the books, and she obviously had a clear idea of the characters when she wrote them, but once the text is on the page, then the author's subsequent explanations are subordinate to the text itself.

Here's how we can test that concept, in fact. What if Rowlings were to give this explanation, with her entire readership accepting it as definitive, only to learn afterwards that she actually didn't write the books? Does her interpretation remain definitive in that case, on its own strengths? Or is it only definitive as long as we envision her as the author? What if a different commentator can offer a more compelling interpretation--must this interpretation be considered inferior solely in deference to the series' author?

Suppose that, centuries from now, some apocalpyse destroys nearly all records of this era, but the last remaining copies of the Harry Potter series are found with no author's name attached. Nearby we find a copy of Rowling's explanation of the series, also without her name attached. On what basis might we accept this anonymous explanation as definitive?


It's a fun question that defies simple answers, so it might indeed be a tuffy after all.

[IronLionZion]

14. J.K. Rowling is right

it doesn't matter what someone else decided to cast in the movies or draw on book covers. If someone can't accept Hermione as a black girl then they are racist.

Why are DUers looking for reasons to block a black girl out of a role in stage play?

[davidn3600]

17. I think it's more an issue because of the previous movies

Emma Watson played Hermione for 8 movies. She's pretty clearly a white girl in those movies. And that's the person fans attached that character to. So when you completely and suddenly change the race, it obviously makes people do a double take and say, "wait, what?"

If they showed a trailer for batman and it happened to be a black person playing the part, it would be the same reaction. It doesn't mean we can't see a black guy being a super hero. It's just that we attached certain physical characteristics to a certain character.

[fishwax]

33. what would be the problem with a black batman?

If batman can go from Adam West to Michael Keaton to Val Kilmer, why not?

Also, I hardly think that the issue is because of the previous movies. You don't think there would be similar outrage had the original films cast a black Hermione? Heck, when the Hunger Games movie came out, there was outrage about an African-American actress in that, even though she was playing a character who had (apparently, haven't read the books or seen the films) been black in the original source material.

[Exilednight]

50. A black Batman would never fly .... no pun imtended

If you can a black man as Batman, then it would change the whole ethos of the character. A black man running around beating people up because law enforcement is inept would kill the franchise.

Personally I think it would open up a whole new dialogue on race in this country, but for monetary reasons it will never happen.

[7962]

21. Its not "racist" at all. Its "continuity".

Every little thing is not "racism". Why didnt she say anything about color when she accepted the casting of all the movies?
Looks like its just a bunch of publicity since she's been gone awhile.
Get everyone pumped up over a non-issue so they'll be ready to spend more money!!

[IronLionZion]

24. Because its a play

and they have very different casting for movies in the James Bond franchise or batman for example.

If a theater show wants to cast a black girl to play a character, why would supposed liberals try to think of reasons against it based only on the girl's race and nothing else?

When race is the only factor, then it is racist to oppose the casting.

[7962]

35. If I was a fan, I'd watch it regardless.

Just seems like its all drummed up for publicity for the "new" run.

[LanternWaste]

38. Continuity would demand Emma Watson reprise the role.

Continuity would demand Emma Watson reprise the role. Hence, you're simply rationalizing a deeper issue. If a different actor plays the role, the continuity is broken regardless of skin color.

I do like the shallowness of your justification though. It seems almost plausible.

[Ex Lurker]

15. If everything is racist, nothing is racist

words lose their power after a while, and people stop paying attention. Someone not liking a casting decision is not the same as burning a cross, ffs.

[HuckleB]

18. You might want to come join the real world for a while.

Rowling is quite right.

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

16. Nothing wrong with it

It's a bit hypocritical when the same people who'd cheer at the idea of Idris Elba playing the role of James Bond get all huffy about a black actress portraying Hermonie Granger.

[brettdale]

23. Daniel radcliffe, Rupert Grinch and Emma watson

Got the roles because they most resemble Harry, Ron and Hermione.

This was said in the initial press conference for the first movie.

Wish I could find the youtube link.

They didnt get the roles for their acting ability.

[IronLionZion]

25. It's probably not the same people

I'm sure racists would be against a black James Bond too even though there have been many different actors for all the main parts throughout the series. Felix Leiter was black in Casino Royale and then there was a black Moneypenny in Skyfall.

[Abq_Sarah]

31. I haven't seen a Bond movie in years

But I'd be first in line at my local theater if they'd cast Idris Elba as James Bond.

[longship]

26. JK Rowling is just one of those really cool people.

Glad to support this OP. Of course Hermione can be Black. She could maybe also be homosexual. Let it rip, J K.

[brettdale]

27. If she was gay

Then the whole ron and Hermione story line wouldnt be in the book.

It would be Hermione and Ginny.

[longship]

29. Well, that would be interesting.

I would likely enjoy those books as much as I enjoyed the seven books that she wrote. And I read them all many times! Good stories deserve such honors.

My best to you.

[Little Tich]

30. I like J.K. Rowling a little bit more now. n/t

[fishwax]

32. not exactly what she said, but it seems about right

Why should anyone care? I hear the comparison to the movie a lot, but why should that matter? It's a different story. Also, it's not as though the eight movies were a faithful representation of reality. It's fiction.

[csziggy]

42. The movies were adaptations. The stage play is a different adaptation

They do NOT have to match each other as to every detail and it would be impossible!

I talked about this in a different reply in this thread, but here is another example.

I enjoyed the movie Stargate. When I saw some "sequel" books I picked up the series and read them. Then the television series Stargate SG-1 began on cable TV.

The original book series took the concept of the stargate system and reality in an entirely different direction than the TV series did - the two different adaptations and continuations of the movie plot did not exist in the same imaginary universe.

That is OK - they are both interesting science fiction realities and are both enjoyable. In fact over the life of the TV series they changed the concept of the universe in which it happened. The spinoffs from the series also took a different story arc.

A friend of mine who had gotten into the TV series HATED that original series of Stargate books. She was too invested in the "reality" of the TV to accept the idea that the story arc could have gone a completely different direction.

To me it's all good. It's fiction and is supposed to stretch the imagination. I enjoyed comparing the different ways the original concept went.

I wish I were into stage shows - I would enjoy seeing a black actress play Hermione!

[hughee99]

34. Since her race isn't related to the plot, what difference does it make what race she is?

I don't understand why being played by a black actress would bother anyone.

[wcast]

40. It always surprise me when I come to DU and find commentary that would be at home on right leaning

Sites. While I am not sure how it matters what color Hermoine is in a play, most arguments seem to be that Hermoine was white in the movies, even though Harry Potter movies were adaptions of a book. Even if Hermoine was displayed on a book cover as white, that is a decision that was made with marketing in mind. Sad to say but, just as many women use initials as authors so their books sell, some people won't buy merchandise featuring black characters. As for the uproar being staged to cause media hype, This is not a new story and Rowling commented as others lost their mind when the Hermoine character was cast.

I recently saw The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and could not understand how upset some people were that the man playing the Phantom was black. Also saw Cinderella that same weekend and she was played by a black actor, as was the genie in Aladin that I saw last year. What is the big deal? It is the same as a certain Fox News anchor being upset that someone thinks Santa is black, or when CBS ran the Wiz and those on the right started screaming white racism.

Harry Potter is fiction, fantasy, and the only real issue is some people can't relate to the characters if those same characters don't conform to preconceived notions of the consumer.

[PersonNumber503602]

44. Before declaring them racist with a blanket statement, I'd have to get their answer to one question

How would they respond if the role was traditionally filled by a black woman, but was later played by a white woman. If they have no objection that scenario, then I would say the racism claim is 100% fair. If they would object to that too, then I'd put them in the category of people who are just unreasonable weird fanboys/fangirls. I don't really understand people like that at all, but I've seen them. This makes even less sense to me given that it's a totally different bunch of actors. The non-racist bunch of people who oppose this would be the types who would be upset if the accent was different too.

But anyway, the point is that I would have probe people more to determine what their actual objections are. It's also a good question for those who have no problem with the change. How would you feel if they had a white woman play the role of character who was traditionally played by a black woman? Assuming the source material doesn't specifically identify the character by her race, and that it's not a key component of the story, then I couldn't see myself having an issue with that.

[Nye Bevan]

49. If Alexander Hamilton can become black for the stage show,

why not Hermione Granger?

[Agnosticsherbet]

51. Hermonie is a character that, at no time, is described as having "black" skin or as "being black."

In fact, I don't remember that she ever described any character as "black." As to the "lost color," even Rosling can descend into easy cliche for a description.

The fault of defaulting to white is in the mind of the reader.

But what difference does it make?

I read comics n the 60's when Nick Fury was white.

I can not longer visualize Nick Fury as anyone but Samuel Jackson.
Any actor can inhabit a role.

[Nye Bevan]

55. Well.... part of the "defaulting" was the eight movies that JK Rowling approved the casting of.

But it's really not that big of a deal.

[Agnosticsherbet]

56. No it isn't. I wish I could go see the plays, but that will never happen.

[five_horizons]

61. Several characters in the books are specifically identified as black

Off the top of my head, Dean Thomas, Lee Jordan, Angelina Johnson and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

EDIT: And Blaise Zabini, the only known black Slytherin.

[Agnosticsherbet]

63. It has been a while since I read the books, and I don't trust the movies to accuratly

portray the world.

Thanks.

[B2G]

53. Roland will be played by a black man in The Dark Tower movie

with Stephen King's blessing.

I have mixed feelings about it. Mainly because it will totally change the dynamic between Detta Walker and Roland. Like totally.

[heaven05]

54. racism is

such an unneccessary, stupid affliction of a wide swath of the human race and this sickness, sometimes fatal, is no where near being subdued and eradicated from the the human race. Probably never will given the new generations of racist always being created.

[Bucky]

57. Silly people are being silly

[Lithos]

59. The only requirement in my head is a smart British Accent

Rowling never specified race, just hair color and I even for that, I never thought too much more about it. I was more taken up by her quick intelligence, fierce curiosity, and strongly centered core beliefs than with her appearance or heritage. I look forward to Hermione being played by an Olivier winning actress, the character's complexity requires a very strong and skilled actress. I only wish I could see it, but I'm stuck in the States. To critics - Rowling already said it, "idiots are only going to idiot".

L-

[GummyBearz]

62. I'm shocked

That this created the debate that I just scrolled through....