Nomi Ellenson/FilmMagic(LONDON) — J.K. Rowling has a message for everyone who isn’t happy about the fact that a black actress is playing Hermoine Granger in the new play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: you’re “a bunch of racists.”
When it was revealed that a black actress named Noma Dumezweni was cast as Hermoine as an adult in the hotly anticipated play, Rowling tells the British paper The Guardian, “I had a bunch of racists telling me that because Hermione [in the books was described as] ‘turning 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. 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.”
She added, “With my experience of social media, I thought that idiots were going to idiot/ But what can you say? That’s the way the world is. Noma was chosen because she was the best actress for the job.”
Rowling also added via Twitter that her official description of Hermoine in the books is this: “brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified.” She also said she “loved black Hermoine.”
And she’s not the only one: Emma Watson, who portrayed Hermoine in all the Harry Potter films, tweeted, “Can’t wait to see Noma Dumezweni as Hermione on stage this year.”
The play starts previews Tuesday night in London ahead of its official opening on July 30.
Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
