Miriam Margolyes has incurred Harry Potter fans’ wrath after disparaging the franchise’s enduring popularity, labelling it as ‘childish’. The 82-year-old actress, renowned for her role as Professor Pomona Sprout in the Harry Potter film series, didn’t mince her words during a recent interview with New Zealand public broadcaster 1News.
In her interview, she remarked, “I worry about Harry Potter fans. They should be over that by now. It was 25 years ago and it’s for children. I think it’s for children.”
Miriam Margolyes further illustrated her point by referencing encounters on Cameo’s personalised video commissioning website. This made her aware of Harry Potter-themed weddings, leaving her bemused about the couples’ post-nuptial festivities. “I do cameos, and people say, ‘Oh, we’re having a Harry Potter-themed wedding,’ and I think, ‘Gosh, what’s their first night of fun going to be? I can’t even think about it!'”
Harry Potter star Margolyes has angered some fans
Despite expressing gratitude for her involvement in the franchise, Miriam Margolyes concluded, “Harry Potter is wonderful, I’m very grateful to it. It’s over – that’s what I think.”
Her comments sparked a firestorm on social media platforms, with many expressing outrage and disbelief.
One Twitter user exclaimed, “So there’s an age on movies and when you should stop watching, yeah, no, love the Harry Potter series”. Another user echoed a similar sentiment, asking, “Why do we have to give up things we love just because we grow up? Some of us aren’t done having fun yet.”
Contrastingly, some defended Miriam Margolyes’ stance, with one user stating, “You can never be too old for Harry Potter. I just started reading Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone, which is amazing. People need a fantasy world to correlate to, to escape from the real world sometimes.”
Australian actress clashed with JK Rowling over sexuality
Margolyes’ remarks come amidst ongoing controversies surrounding Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling, particularly regarding her comments about transgender individuals. Margolyes has distanced herself from Rowling’s views, emphasizing personal happiness as paramount. In a 2020 interview with The Times, she criticised Rowling’s conservative stance on transgender issues, asserting, “If you seriously want to become a woman, you should be allowed to. You can’t be a fascist about it.”
Despite her occasional clashes with Rowling’s viewpoints, Margolyes admired the author as a human being, describing her as “generous” and “brilliant”.
The Harry Potter franchise, spanning eight films, has left a huge mark on pop culture since the first movie’s release in 2001. With a TV reboot in the works at HBO Max, slated for 2026, it seems the magic of Hogwarts continues to captivate audiences, regardless of age.