PICKING SIDES

Keira Knightley Grilled About J.K. Rowling After Joining Project

Knightley signed on to voice a character in the new audiobooks.

Keira Knightley was in the hot seat when she was asked about her decision to work on a Harry Potter project. Knightley, while promoting her new Netflix film The Woman in Cabin 10, was previously announced as the voice of Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions. The actress was asked by Decider if she was cognizant of the fan boycott of the series in response to J.K. Rowling’s crusade against trans people. “I was not aware of that, no. I’m very sorry,” she said. “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.” Knightley has maintained an apolitical public identity since she rose to fame in the early 2000s, but Rowling’s conspicuous railing against the population has made her a point of contention even for the most impartial celebrities.