Tom Felton speaks out supporting Rupert Grint’s Harry Potter return, and it’s deeply ironic

Rupert Grint is heading back to Harry Potter as Ron Weasley, and his former co-star Tom Felton has wasted absolutely no time cheering him on.

Via Alan Davidson/Shutterstock

Grint announced yesterday that he will reprise his role as an adult Ron in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway, with a 17-week run beginning in February 2027. He shared a video of the Cursed Child playbill on Instagram, captioning it: “Dusting off the old robes.”

And because apparently we have not had enough Harry Potter discourse this week, Tom Felton, who is currently playing Draco Malfoy in the same Broadway production, has now publicly welcomed him back.

Felton posted pictures of the pair together on Instagram, writing: “Love you too Weasley x @rupertgrint @cursedchildus”.

While the two former Hogwarts classmates are clearly delighted to be reunited in the Potter universe, their return to the franchise has landed rather awkwardly given what both actors have previously said about J.K. Rowling and her views on trans people.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Harry Potter on Broadway (@cursedchildus)

And, frankly, Felton’s stance is particularly hard to swallow.

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When he returned to Cursed Child as Draco in 2025, he was asked directly about the controversy surrounding Rowling’s gender-critical views. Speaking to Variety at the Tony Awards, Felton said: “I can’t say it [impacts me], I’m not really that attuned to it.”

He then added: “I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter. She’s responsible for that, so I’m incredibly grateful.”

The comments were met with backlash, with critics accusing the actor of being able to conveniently ignore the issue because Rowling’s views don’t personally affect him. Which, considering he was being asked about an author whose views have had a very real impact on trans people, is quite the way to opt out of having an opinion.

Tom Felton says the controversy around J.K. Rowling’s political views doesn’t impact him: “I’m not really that attuned to it…I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter. She’s responsible for that, so I’m incredibly grateful.” #TonyAwards pic.twitter.com/T7KSMNbFds

— Variety (@Variety) June 8, 2025

Felton has actually been pretty consistent on this front. In 2022, he told the Times that “no one has single-handedly done more for bringing joy to so many different generations”.

Nobody is saying actors aren’t allowed to revisit roles that made their careers. But if you’re going to step back into the Wizarding World, perhaps don’t act surprised when people remember that the Wizarding World comes with a very famous author attached to it.

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Featured image via Alan Davidson/Shutterstock