WASHINGTON: Author J K Rowling recently found support from Warner Bros. after an external PR, acting on behalf of the studio, stated that the company is “not connected” to the British author.
According to Variety, Warner Bros. issued the response following a spat between a news outlet and the PR, who blocked the outlet from asking Harry Potter actor Tom Felton about Rowling during a press event in London last week.
Felton was part of an event around the expansion of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter attraction. He unveiled Professor Sprout’s Greenhouse, a fan favorite set from the films, which will be a permanent addition to the attraction.
During an interview with the news outlet, Felton was asked about Rowling, who has faced backlash for comments about the trans community, and who was notably absent from ‘Return to Hogwarts’, the HBO Max documentary special marking the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter.
At this point, an external PR executive hired for the event, who is not a Warner Bros. employee, cut in and said: “Next question please.”
Later, when the outlet questioned the PR as to why they were interrupted, they got a response stating: “J K Rowling is not connected to Warner or Tom Felton, the team felt it was not relevant to the piece.”
However, in a statement shared with Variety, Warner Bros. stood by its long-standing relationship with Rowling.
“Warner Bros. has enjoyed a creative, productive and fulfilling partnership with J K Rowling for the past 20 years. She is one of the world’s most accomplished storytellers, and we are proud to be the studio to bring her vision, characters and stories to life now — and for decades to come. On Monday, a statement was issued by a third-party media agency that appeared contrary to this view. The statement was wholly wrong, and Warner Bros. Studio Tour London regrets it happened as part of a media event that day,” it read.
The greenhouse expansion opens at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter – on July 1 and is part of a new feature titled ‘Mandrakes and Magical Creatures’, which will run through September 12. (ANI)