Keira Knightley has landed in hot water after a short clip from a recent interview started making the rounds online. The actor, who’s set to voice Professor Dolores Umbridge in Audible’s star-studded Harry Potter audio series, told the interviewer she didn’t know about the calls to boycott anything linked to J.K. Rowling. That quick response, and how she said it on camera, rubbed many fans the wrong way, with some saying she came off as dismissive about serious issues.
Keira Knightley upsets fans as apology video surfaces
While promoting her new Netflix movie, Keira Knightley was asked by Decider about the ongoing boycott against J.K. Rowling, which was fueled by the author’s repeated comments about transgender people.
“I was not aware of that (the calls to boycott Rowling), no. I’m very sorry,” Knightley said. “I think we’re all living in a period of time right now where we’re all going to have to figure out how to live together, aren’t we? And we’ve all got very different opinions. So I hope that we can all find respect.”
Fans reposted the clip all over Reddit and other social platforms, saying her tone felt dismissive or even sarcastic. Many called her apology fake, and one viral comment summed it up. “The video is way worse than the transcript.”
There were many who thought Keira Knightley sounded sarcastic in the video, especially when she laughed after saying she was “very sorry” and claimed she hadn’t heard about the boycott.
Another fan called her reaction “bizarre,” while one pointed out that she seemed annoyed at even being asked the question. Others said they felt let down by her response, with one disappointed fan noting that they had expected Knightley to take a stand similar to the Harry Potter cast members who have publicly distanced themselves from J.K. Rowling.
This whole controversy escalated because the Harry Potter franchise is still a massive deal, both culturally and commercially. Rowling’s comments about gender have kept fans divided for years, and some of the original cast members have openly distanced themselves from her views.
