Rupert Grint has described his relationship with J.K. Rowling as "tricky" following backlash over her controversial views on transgender people.
The actor, who found fame playing Ron Weasley in the movie adaptations of Rowling's Harry Potter books, spoke out against the Scottish author in 2020 after she sparked controversy with her views about the transgender community.
Reflecting on their relationship in The Sunday Times' What I've Learnt column, Grint admitted it was "tricky".
"I liken JK Rowling to an auntie," he said. "I don't necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but she's still my auntie. It's a tricky one."
The 33-year-old issued a statement to the publication in 2020 to declare his support for the transgender community amid the Rowling backlash.
"I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers," he stated. "Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgement."
Many of his Harry Potter co-stars, including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, issued similar statements, and in an interview with Esquire last year, the actor defended his decision to speak out.
"I am hugely grateful (for) everything that she's done. I think that she's extremely talented, and I mean, clearly, her works are genius," he explained. "But yeah, I think also you can have huge respect for someone and still disagree with things like that."
Grint recently reunited with Radcliffe and Watson for the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts TV special.
Elsewhere in Rowling news, Police Scotland representatives have announced they will be taking no action against transgender activists who posted a photo of the writer's Edinburgh home on Twitter in November.
"Inquiries were carried out and no criminality has been established," the spokeswoman told BBC News on Monday.
