“The Last of Us” star Pedro Pascal accused author J.K. Rowling of “heinous loser behavior” for her celebratory post following a U.K. court decision that did not recognize transgender women as women.
Pascal hit hard at the “Harry Potter” author in the comment section of an Instagram video that called for a total boycott of Rowling’s popular franchise.
The activist Tariq Raouf posted the video last week criticizing Rowling for “reveling” in the U.K. Supreme Court’s ruling this month that the Equality Act defines women as those born biologically female.
Rowling posted a photo of herself on X, with a drink and cigar in hand, and wrote: “I love it when a plan comes together. #SupremeCourt #WomensRights.”
The Scottish writer has been vocal about her views on transgender women and their rights in recent years, getting heated on her social media accounts with those who disagree with her.
Raouf described Rowling as a “villain” and urged the public to stop supporting the “Harry Potter” franchise.
“She’s so cocky about getting the same royalties … whether you burn or read a Harry Potter book,” Raouf said in his Instagram video. “So I think it has become our mission to — as the general public — to make sure that every single thing that’s ‘Harry Potter’-related fails.”
This included the books, an upcoming reboot television series and visiting the “Harry Potter” theme park at the Universal Orlando Resort. (Universal Orlando Resort is owned by NBCUniversal, the same parent company that owns NBC News.)
One of the top comments on Raouf’s post is from Pascal’s verified Instagram account, which has nearly 10 million followers. In his comment, Pascal refers to Rowling’s behavior as “heinous,” “awful” and “disgusting.”
Representatives for Pascal and Rowling did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Pascal doubled down on his support for the transgender community during an appearance at the premiere for Marvel’s “Thunderbolts” in London on Tuesday.
He wore a shirt that said, “Protect the Dolls,” a reference to an affectionate nickname given to transgender women among the LGBTQ community.
The shirt was designed by Connor Ives, who told The New York Times that the proceeds from sales would go to Trans Lifeline, a nonprofit community group and crisis hotline.
Pascal is a vocal supporter of the transgender community and has spoken about his own transgender sister, Lux Pascal, with affection.
Lux Pascal came out publicly in 2021 and did an interview with the Chilean magazine Ya. Her brother posted the magazine cover to Instagram and wrote, “Mi hermana, mi corazón, nuestra Lux,” which translates to, “My sister, my heart, our Lux.”
In the interview, she credited her older brother for his support.
“He has been an important part of this,” she said. “He is also an artist and has been a guide. He was one of the first people who gave me the things to form identity.”
