JK Rowling has had enough.
While the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is setting sales records, with 175,000 tickets sold in 24 hours, some are complaining about the casting of Noma Dumezweni, a black woman, as the adult version of Hermione Granger. And Rowling, the creator of Potter, is miffed.
“I had a bunch of racists telling me…that she must be a white woman, which I have a great deal of difficulty with,” Rowling told The Guardian. “Hermione can be a black woman with my absolute blessing and enthusiasm.”
“Idiots were going to idiot,” she added. “That”s the way the world is. Noma was chosen because she was the best actress for the job.”
Dumezweni is a highly-regarded actress, having won the Olivier Award for her work in A Raisin in the Sun. In addition to her extensive theater credits, Dumezweni has also appeared in Doctor Who and EastEnders.
The play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child takes place 19 years after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows concludes. It opens on London”s West End July 30.