Fantastic Beasts star Mads Mikkelsen has urged caution when discussing the JK Rowling trans controversy, saying people should be ‘very careful’ that they know what they’re talking about.
Critics have accused the Harry Potter author of being transphobic, an allegation she strongly denies.
Danish actor Mikkelsen, who plays evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts movie, addressed the issue in a recent interview.
He said: ‘People treat it a little flippantly, like, ‘Isn’t that a disgrace?’ And every time you ask somebody, you can’t really figure out what she said.
‘But if the reaction is that crazy, we have to be very careful that we know what we’re talking about.’
The actor, 56, who was speaking to GQ Hype, also added that he had not read the 5,000-word blog Rowling had written on the issue and was not familiar with her views.
He added: ‘I have a habit of not commenting on things that I don’t know anything about, and I actually think that would suit the entire world.’
Mikkelsen recently took over the role of Grindelwald from Johnny Depp, who left the Harry Potter prequel series after losing a High Court battle against the Sun newspaper over an article which labelled him a ‘wife beater’.
The actor, whose credits include Bond villain Le Chiffre and Dr Hannibal Lecter in the TV series Hannibal, was subsequently announced as Depp’s replacement.
Recalling the urgency with which the producers approached him for the role, he said that there was ‘obviously’ a situation that needed to be solved overnight, and ‘They were just panicking’.
The Secrets Of Dumbledore, the latest film in the magical franchise, sees evil wizard Grindelwald face off against Jude Law’s Albus Dumbledore for the future of the wizarding world.
The Secrets of Dumbledore will be in UK cinemas April 8.
MORE : Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore review: Eddie Redmayne franchise is still fun but starting to lose its magic
MORE : Fantastic Beasts 3: Cast, plot, trailer and release date
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