Years after their last cinematic outing together, Tom Felton has praised his former Harry Potter co-star, Emma Watson. The pair played Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, respectively, in the 8-part film series from 2001 to 2011.
Tom’s comments come just days after HBO dropped the first look at the upcoming Harry Potter revival series, with an all-new cast. Currently, Tom is reprising his famous role in the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. In the midst of these new J.K. Rowling adaptations, the cast of the original films remains divided over the author’s transphobia.
The former Harry Potter actor says “there’s no one” he admires “more”
“There’s no one that I admire more, really, considering being cast for such a now pivotal role in history,” Tom said in the March 26 episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast.
Later, the actor praised how well a young Emma handled her newfound fame and responsibility. The actress was just nine years old when she was officially cast as the franchise’s leading female character.
“Not to mention the added dimension of being a young woman, a young girl going through that is another level of complexity,” he added. “Needless to say, I can’t relate to that, and I can’t even experience it.”
Tom later said he had a “huge admiration” for all his castmates. “We’re all good friends, and I like to think, ironically, Draco being somewhat the gel that keeps us all together,” he joked.
However, Tom and Emma have taken very different approaches to J.K.’s anti-trans activism. Previously, the author hit out at Emma for saying she had “love and support” for her, despite having opposing views about trans people. J.K. took to social media to call the actress “ignorant,” and accused her of “trashing” women’s rights.
Conversely, Tom has been less critical of the writer. “I can’t say it [impacts me], he said at the Tony Awards in 2025. “I’m not really that attuned to it.”
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