British actress Keira Knightley is going viral for her reaction to a question about the boycott of J.K. Rowling.
The 40-year-old A-lister gave a chuckle when the interviewer brought up the topic. Knightley was promoting her new Netflix thriller “The Woman in Cabin 10” when the interviewer changed tracks and asked about her role in the new audiobook productions of Rowling’s “Harry Potter” novels, which are called “Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions.”
The interviewer from Decider asked Knightley if she knew that “some fans are calling for a boycott” due to Rowling’s stance on trans acceptance.
“I was not aware of that, no. I’m very sorry,” she said with a smirk and a laugh. “You know, 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. I hope that we can all find respect.”
Keira Knightley says she “was not aware” of any #HarryPotter boycott when she signed on to voice Professor Umbridge in Audible’s upcoming seven-part audio book adaptation of the J.K. Rowling series: https://t.co/OJLE548Yfr pic.twitter.com/unaMY7pQjX
— Decider (@decider) October 14, 2025
While her words suggested an apology, her tone was one of clear amusement, which led many viewers to celebrate a shift in how the transgender issue is discussed.
“The pro-trans emotional blackmail crusade is dead,” political commentator Collin Rugg wrote in response to the clip.
“She is hearing none of their bullsh**,” another commenter wrote.
“Expertly avoided getting boxed in, yet left you in no doubt as to her thoughts,” another person said. “Perfect response to this whole sideshow. Respect.”
“The Woman in Cabin 10” director Simon Stone, who was also being interviewed, chimed in with his agreement to what Knightley said.
“I think that’s right,” Stone said, per Decider. “I think that we have learned over time, unfortunately, that the unbearable voice in the room is something … I think everyone needs to recognize that they’re the unbearable voice for someone else, as well. The live and let live thing of like, ‘Oh God, your voice is really loud, and I can’t stand you.’ That’s part of our lives.”
“We all have hatred, deep hatred for someone in the universe — someone in the class,” he added. “Let’s reduce it to classroom politics. There is always the kid that we cannot stand. I think we’d all agree that we’re that kid for someone else, too. Unfortunately, all sides of the political spectrum are currently trying to shut that kid’s voice down, but they don’t realize the irony of the fact that they’re also that kid for someone else. If we can. … all have a moratorium on that, and just let chaos live for a little bit, we might find our way out.”
Leftist fans have been furious with Rowling since she started speaking out on the topic of biological sex being real in 2020. Most members of the original “Harry Potter” movie cast have denounced her and sided with the trans activists.
Most recently, Rowling and actress Emma Watson got into a public feud which culminated in Rowling saying Watson, “has so little experience of real life she’s ignorant of how ignorant she is.”
