Miriam Margolyes calls out JK Rowling: 'Too harsh'

Miriam Margolyes has called out JK Rowling's anti-trans stance as "too harsh".

The Harry Potter alum spoke out against the billionaire author's anti-trans views but added she felt the transgender community needed to rein in its "fury" over the novelist's opinions.

"I don't agree with her about the trans issue. I think her opinion is too harsh," Miriam, 84, told the A Gay Old Time podcast in an interview published on 16 July.

"But I don't like the fact that the trans community has reacted with such fury. It's not good to be so furious."

Joanne, 59, has been outspoken about her hatred of trans people, particularly trans women, and recently celebrated the UK Supreme Court's ruling to ban the legal recognition of trans women.

Miriam - herself an openly gay member of the LGBTQ community - explained she believed a softer response to the novelist's attitude would help.

"We should be gentler with each other," she suggested. "We're all oppressed by sections of the community, and let's just be kinder. I'm sorry that she's been so fiercely vocal about it, but I really just feel supportive about this tiny group of people, absolutely minuscule group of people who are trans."

She added she tried her best to adjust her use of pronouns for trans and non-binary friends, but frequently made mistakes.

"If they want me to use pronouns, I often forget, but I think it's the right thing to do," the octogenarian actor said. "If you can make people happy, do it."