J.K. Rowling was thrilled when black actor Noma Dumezweni was cast as adult Hermione Granger back in December, but sadly, many less open-minded people on Twitter weren't. Several Harry Potter fans were upset that Hermione, who had been played in the films by Emma Watson, was now black in The Cursed Child play, but Rowling hit back, stating, "Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione."
And with Harry Potter and The Cursed Child set to open in London on Tuesday, Rowling once again threw her support behind Dumezweni and dismissed the critics of the casting as "a bunch of racists."
“Noma was chosen because she was the best actress for the job," Rowling said in an interview with The Observer. “I had a bunch of racists telling me that because Hermione ‘turned white’ – that is, lost colour from her face after a shock – that she must be a white woman, which I have a great deal of difficulty with.
“But I decided not to get too agitated about it and simply state quite firmly that Hermione can be a black woman with my absolute blessing and enthusiasm,” Rowling said.
The Harry Potter author, who co-created TheCursed Child alongside playwrights Jack Thorne and John Tiffany was sad to say she was unsurprised by the reaction to Dumezweni's casting.
“With my experience of social media, I thought that idiots were going to idiot. But what can you say? That’s the way the world is,” Rowling said.
The Cursed Child, which Rowling has hinted will center around Harry and Ginny Weasley’s son, Albus Severus Potter, will open June 7 at the Palace Theatre London ahead of its official opening on July 30.
