JK Rowling angry with people criticising black Hermione

Renowned author JK Rowling has voiced her frustration at people criticising the casting of an African-American actress as Hermione Granger for the new Harry Potter play, calling them “a bunch of racists”.

In conversation with The Observer, as reported by The Guardian, Rowling said that there was severe criticism surrounding the Oliver Award-winning actress Noma Dumezweni to play the character in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on the London stage. The loudest critics have come via social media.

“With my experience of social media, I thought that idiots were going to idiot,” she told The Observer. “But what can you say? That’s the way the world is. Noma was chosen because she was the best actress for the job.”

Rowling is incredibly supportive of the cast. Last year when the first cast photos of the play were revealed, she tweeted: “Brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione.”

The production, which has broken records by selling 175,000 tickets in 24 hours, is tipped to be the theatrical event of the year. Previews for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” begin Tuesday at the Palace Theatre in London, with the official opening July 30.

— Photo courtesy: Pottermore